Ben Rice: Yankees' New Star Power Duo

0:00On April 22nd, the Yankees have always thrived on star-powered duos like Ruth and Garrick, and after Aaron Judge teamed up with Juan Soto for 99. Home runs and a World Series run in 2024, they needed a new partner when Soto jumped to the Metz. Enter Ben Rice, the 27-year-old first baseman who's turning heads early in 2026. Rice is on fire through 23 games, leading all hitters with a 230WRC plus, a 0.461 on base percentage and a 0.754 slugging mark. He's drawing walks at a 20.2% clip and crushing balls hard. 64.4% of the time, already outpacing Judge in. Fan grass winds above replacement at 1.4 to 1.0. Fans and analysts are buzzing because Rice fixed his weaknesses from last year when he hit 26 homers but struggled against lefties. Now he's smashing three off South Paws already, compared to 7 all of 2025, earning everyday ad bats and less platooning.

1:02The Yankees lineup finally feels balanced, easing the Barry Bond style intentional walks Judge faced 86 times from 2021 to 2025. Digging deeper, Rice's expected stats match up with Soto's monster 2024 Yankees season like a 0.461 expected W.O. Bay end. 22.2% barrel rate. Unmite pastries at Giancarlo Stannon, who got hurt too often, Rice is sinking perfectly with Judge, boosting a first-based spot that ranked near. The bottom league wide before he arrived. With Rice locked in until after 2030, the Yankees could have their next long-term duo anchoring the lineup, powering Judge through his prime, and may be beyond as the Bronx Bombers chase more rings. Baseball news, powered by AI, this is MLB News Today.