Ben Rice, pitching staff lead Yankees past Pirates

Two hits, two RBI, and a walk isn’t headline material in July, but it says his bat is starting to heat up. His two-run single in the second inning wasn’t loud by exit velocity standards, but it was professional, controlled, and exactly what his team needed.

He slugged .499 last year and carried one of the better Statcast profiles in baseball. That plays in the Bronx. Power with patience always does.

And here’s the uncomfortable truth: the Yankees’ lineup still leans too heavily on streaky power. Rice offers something steadier. Less noise, more reliability.

The pitching depth looked… real

Spring stats lie. Pitch shapes don’t.

Ryan Yarbrough opened with two sharp innings, and his outing looked exactly like what the Yankees signed him for — soft contact, weird timing, just enough deception to keep hitters from ever settling in. He’s not flashy. He’s effective. That matters more.

Paul Blackburn followed with two scoreless frames that felt almost boring, and that’s a compliment. The Yankees don’t need Blackburn to dominate; they need him to eat innings without drama. Monday showed he can do that.

Then came the fun part.

Dylan Coleman handled his inning cleanly, but the afternoon really tilted when Ben Hess took the ball.

The prospect threw three additional innings, surrendering a run, two hits, and a couple of walks, striking out a whopping five Pirates’ hitters. He looked fantastic, leaning on a filthy sweeper with 20+ inches of lateral movement. He was actually scoreless through his first two frames before the Yanks sent him for a third, in which he encountered some issues.

Prospects flash all the time in March. Few make hitters look that uncomfortable doing it. If Hess keeps missing bats like that, he won’t stay a curiosity for long.

Catcher Miguel Palma drove a ball the other way for a homer that pushed the game to 6–1 in the eighth. Opposite-field pop from a young catcher gets attention inside front offices even if fans barely notice.

It’s the kind of swing that whispers something bigger.

The next test isn’t about the score either

The Yankees will face the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark on Tuesday, with Will Warren scheduled to start. Another exhibition, another meaningless result waiting to be overanalyzed.

If the Yankees keep stacking competent arms behind their stars, this roster suddenly looks deeper than the version that ended last season.

February wins don’t matter. The warning signs they contain do.