When you think of the New York Yankees, the first name that comes to mind is Aaron Judge. Then there are the other big names like Cody Bellinger or ace Max Fried. But lately, there's been another name making all of the headlines in the Bronx.
Ben Rice looks like an emerging superstar, and on Monday, he was recognized for his play with some MLB hardware.
For the first time in his career, Rice was named the AL Player of the Week, and it was well deserved. The young lefty had a monster week: going 12-for-26 with a home run, 11 RBI, four doubles, a pair of triples, and a massive 1.418 OPS. He notably helped lead a comeback on Saturday against the Athletics, when the Yankees put up 13 runs in a single inning. In that inning alone, Rice hit a double, a triple, and had 4 RBI.
In his second full year with the team, Rice is quickly turning into a bat that manager Aaron Boone cannot leave out of the lineup. He is the strong part of a platoon at first base, and when he is not in the field, he is filling in as the team's DH. In 54 games, Rice has an MLB-leading 1.056 OPS and an AL-leading 44 RBI. He has 17 home runs and leads the major leagues with a .658 slugging percentage.
In the past, the Yankees have been hesitant to play Rice against left-handed pitchers. This year, he has shown that his bat is lethal enough to be in the lineup every day. Against left-handed pitching, Rice has a 1.015 OPS with five home runs and 12 RBI in 59 at-bats. Rice has shown that even when DH Giancarlo Stanton returns from injury, the Yankees will need to be creative enough to keep Rice on the field.
Not only is Rice cementing himself as a perennial AL All-Star, but he is playing himself into the AL MVP discussion. At the start of June, Rice leads the league in OPS, slugging, RBI, extra-base hits, and is third in the AL in offensive WAR. Rice and the Yankees will look to carry the momentum into June when they host the Cleveland Guardians in a three-game set starting on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.
