Ben Rice slugs way into New York Yankees history

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice had a game to remember on Wednesday.

Hitting leadoff as the Yankees' designated hitter, Rice went 3-for-4 with two home runs and a walk in the Yankees' 9-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. Rice drove in three runs while scoring twice in the contest.

Rice's performance was notable beyond the box score. He has 41 homers so far in 2026, putting him in a four-way tie for the American League home run title. His two-homer game also made Rice the 13th player in Yankees history to hit at least 40 home runs in a year.

New York Yankees need first baseman Ben Rice to carry lineup during postseason

Rice has had a breakout season for the Yankees in 2026. He has posted a .263/.362/.537 batting line in his 654 plate appearances through Wednesday, hitting 41 homers and 23 doubles. He has been the Yankees' biggest threat in the lineup for most of the 2026 season as outfielder Aaron Judge and designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton have missed significant time due to injuries.

That may continue into the playoffs. Although Judge said on Wednesday that he plans to be ready for their wild-card series against the Red Sox beginning on Tuesday, manager Aaron Boone indicated otherwise. Likewise, it is fair to wonder how much of an impact Judge will have, as he had just four hits in his 24 plate appearances between stints on the Injured List, hitting one home run while striking out 13 times.

Rice has carved his name into the Yankees' history books. He may need to continue to do so if they are going to have a deep run through the postseason.