Ben Rice's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

MLB Pipeline named first baseman/catcher Ben Rice New York's top hitting prospect of the 2024 season. Rice opened the summer by getting his second look at Double-A and performed quite well as he posted a .261/.382/.511 line with 13 home runs across 49 games. The 25-year-old then earned the call to Triple-A and continued to showcase his upside power as he hit another 12 long balls in a smaller 30-game stint and carried an impressive .661 SLG. The Dartmouth product then spent most of the remainder of the season in the major leagues. Rice got off to a hot start, launching seven home runs across his first 35 games. However, he then struggled over his last 15 contests, where he tallied just two total hits. Fantasy managers should closely monitor who the Yankees bring in during free agency, as Rice could compete for the starting first base job during Spring Training.

With New York Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo (fingers) and infielder DJ LeMahieu (hip) injured, general manager Brian Cashman considers Oswaldo Cabrera and rookie Ben Rice as the "primary names" at first base heading into the American League Division Series against the Kansas City Royals, which starts on Saturday. Rizzo is dealing with two fractured fingers and is a long shot to be included on the roster for the Division Series, and LeMahieu has been injured and ineffective all year. Rice will most likely be on the strong side of a platoon to begin the postseason against right-handed pitching, while Cabrera could be inserted at first base against lefties as a switch-hitter. It's not an ideal situation for the Bombers at this time of year. The 25-year-old Rice hit just .171/.264/.349 in his first 50 MLB games despite getting off to a hot start early on. He managed seven homers and 23 RBI.

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice was optioned to Triple-A Scranton on Saturday, according to the ballclub. The expectation is that this move is in correlation to Anthony Rizzo's expected activation off the injured list on Sunday. Rice got off to a hot start with the Yankees but majorly cooled off in August, hitting for just a .228 OPS in 41 PA during the month. Most of Rice's playing time at first base was taken over by veteran DJ LeMahieu, though LeMahieu's production has been less than ideal (.525 OPS in August). Fantasy managers should feel free to cut Rice loose between the combination of subpar production and Rizzo's eventual return. Those who have Rizzo on their roster should get ready to get him in their starting lineups as soon as tomorrow in his potential return to Wrigley Field against Cubs' scheduled starter Jameson Taillon.