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The New York Yankees have enjoyed a nice start to the 2026 season, and have seen the blossoming of one of their younger core pieces. Ben Rice, the 27-year-old who is in his third season with the Bronx Bombers, is picking up where he left off in 2025.
Through the first 20 games of this season, he leads the Yankees in home runs with seven, and RBIs with 17. Going further down the stat line, Rice is also the leading batter in batting average, at .339. Looking analytically, No. 22's average exit velocity of 95.5 MPH is in the top 1% of baseball, according to Baseball Savant.
It has been a fantastic season for Rice, and the Yankees are reaping the benefits. For years, they have searched for an answer for first base, and now, it seems like they have a home run. Pun intended.
Recently, Rice has been on a tear with a three-game home run streak. You don't see those too often. He is getting great contact on the ball, and his placement in the batting order as the clean-up hitter is well earned.
For the rest of 2026, it will be important for Rice to continue to be a steady contributor for this offense. The Yankees pitching has been great thus far, and once the powerful bats are fully behind them, this team can be lethal at the end of this Summer and into the Fall.
Can Rice keep this streak up, and go for a fourth home run game in a row?
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