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Ben Rice Starting Against a Lefty on Saturday
New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice is in the starting lineup and is batting fifth on Saturday against the visiting Kansas City Royals and left-hander Noah Cameron, per MLB.com. Rice will get his first chance to start against a southpaw in 2026 after veteran right-handed hitter Paul Goldschmidt drew into the lineup at first over Rice early on over Rice against lefties. The Yankees said in the offseason that they wanted Rice to get more exposure to lefties this year after his 2025 breakout. So far in 19 games this year, Rice has picked up where he left off, slashing .339/.459/.746 with a 1.205 OPS, six home runs, 16 RBI, 18 runs scored, and a stolen base in 74 plate appearances. He's gone 4-for-14 (.286) with a solo homer against lefties, too. To take the next step, Rice will need to be adequate in those tough lefty-lefty matchups, and he'll get his first starting chance against a southpaw on Saturday in the Bronx. Rice has never faced Cameron in his career.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
