\u2013 Aaron Boone on Ben Rice <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Rice\u2019s Numbers Back Up Boone<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe case Boone made is not difficult to support.<\/p>\n
Rice entered Saturday with 14 home runs and 30 RBIs while hitting .314 with a .418 on-base percentage. His .686 slugging percentage and 1.104 OPS led all of baseball.<\/p>\n
That is not just good production. That is star-level production.<\/p>\n
The company he is keeping with Judge makes it even harder to dismiss. Through the Yankees\u2019 first 45 games, Rice and Judge became only the second pair of teammates in franchise history to each reach at least 14 home runs that quickly.<\/p>\n
Rice has also answered one of the biggest questions attached to his profile. Last season, left-handed pitching could still create problems for him. This year, that weakness has not looked like a weakness at all.<\/p>\n
His OPS against lefties entered Saturday at 1.092, nearly matching the damage he has done against right-handed pitching.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/GettyImages-2276482383.jpg?quality=65&strip=all\")
<\/figure>\nGetty<\/span>NEW YORK, NEW YORK \u2013 MAY 15: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees reacts after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 15, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\nRice Is Helping Fill Yankees\u2019 Soto Void<\/strong><\/h2>\nWhen Juan Soto<\/a> left the Yankees for the Mets<\/a>, the question was never whether New York could replace him directly.<\/p>\nThe question was whether the Yankees could still build a dangerous enough lineup around Judge to remain one of the best teams in the American League. Rice has helped answer that in a way few could have expected.<\/p>\n
Rice wearing No. 22 adds another layer, even if the Yankees would never frame it that way. Soto<\/a> wore that number in The Bronx before taking it across town. Rice now wears it while giving the Yankees the kind of left-handed thunder<\/a> they needed after Soto\u2019s exit.<\/p>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2207514387.jpg?quality=65&strip=all\")
<\/figure>\nGetty<\/span>Juan Soto of the New York Mets. (Photo by Tim Warner\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\nFinal Word for the Yankees<\/strong><\/h2>\nThe Yankees dropped Saturday\u2019s game 6-3, but the larger story has not changed. Rice has spent the first six weeks of the season turning a promising bat into one of the most dangerous offensive profiles in baseball.<\/p>\n
He is hitting lefties and righties. He is hitting for power and controlling the zone. He is giving Judge the kind of lineup partner the Yankees badly needed after Soto left.<\/p>\n
That is what Boone sees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n\n\t\t\tKeith Watkins<\/strong><\/a> Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/figure>\nGetty<\/span>NEW YORK, NEW YORK \u2013 MAY 15: Ben Rice #22 of the New York Yankees reacts after hitting a solo home run during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field on May 15, 2026 in the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Ishika Samant\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n When Juan Soto<\/a> left the Yankees for the Mets<\/a>, the question was never whether New York could replace him directly.<\/p>\n The question was whether the Yankees could still build a dangerous enough lineup around Judge to remain one of the best teams in the American League. Rice has helped answer that in a way few could have expected.<\/p>\n Rice wearing No. 22 adds another layer, even if the Yankees would never frame it that way. Soto<\/a> wore that number in The Bronx before taking it across town. Rice now wears it while giving the Yankees the kind of left-handed thunder<\/a> they needed after Soto\u2019s exit.<\/p>\n Getty<\/span>Juan Soto of the New York Mets. (Photo by Tim Warner\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Yankees dropped Saturday\u2019s game 6-3, but the larger story has not changed. Rice has spent the first six weeks of the season turning a promising bat into one of the most dangerous offensive profiles in baseball.<\/p>\n He is hitting lefties and righties. He is hitting for power and controlling the zone. He is giving Judge the kind of lineup partner the Yankees badly needed after Soto left.<\/p>\n That is what Boone sees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n\t\t\tKeith Watkins<\/strong><\/a> Keith Watkins is a sports journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Golden State Warriors, Boston Celtics, and Los Angeles Lakers. He previously wrote for FanSided, NBA Analysis Network, and Last Word On Sports. Keith is based in Bangkok, Thailand. More about Keith Watkins<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nRice Is Helping Fill Yankees\u2019 Soto Void<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/figure>\nFinal Word for the Yankees<\/strong><\/h2>\n