Ben Rice Will See Time Against Left-Handed Pitchers This Year
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said that first baseman/catcher Ben Rice and outfielder Trent Grisham, who are both out of the starting lineup on Friday against San Francisco Giants lefty Robbie Ray, will see playing time against southpaws in 2026, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. "A lot of it has to do with the first three series, the first nine games -- this (Robbie Ray) is probably the only lefty we're going to see," Boone said. Rice, 27, broke out in 2025 in his first full year in the big leagues and earned more exposure to lefties, hitting .255/.337/.499 with an .836 OPS, 26 home runs, 65 RBI, and 74 runs scored in 530 plate appearances over 138 games played. Against left-handers, Rice went 22-for-106 (.208) with seven of his home runs on the season. The 27-year-old lefty slugger also has catcher eligibility. Rice's fantasy arrow is firmly pointing up in 2026. He went 1-for-4 on Opening night on Wednesday in the win over the Giants.
Source: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
Source: MLB.com - Bryan Hoch
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