MINNEAPOLIS — Ben Rice is no longer the Yankees’ only offensive centerpiece now that Aaron Judge has returned to the lineup, but he has taken on a new job that could matter just as much heading into the postseason: leadoff hitter.
Rice went 2-for-3 with a walk, including a go-ahead two-run single in the eighth inning, as the Yankees opened a series against the Twins with an 8-3 win. The performance extended a hot stretch that has seen Rice reach base multiple times in 16 of his last 23 games since Aug. 19. Over that span he is batting .333 with 14 RBIs and has homered in three of his last nine games.
On Aug. 31, Rice took over as the regular leadoff hitter against right-handed pitchers, replacing Trent Grisham, and he appears likely to stay there as the Yankees push toward October.
“I think he went through a stretch there where he really started squaring a lot of balls up,” manager Aaron Boone said before Monday’s game. “And then on the heels of that, the walks started coming into play, where I feel like he’s doing a really good job of controlling the strike zone, which he typically does. But he goes through some stretches and has this year where that hasn’t been the case. But I feel like right now, he’s doing a really good job of controlling the zone and there’s obviously always that threat of slug in there.”
“Feel like Benny’s in a good spot right now, hopefully at just the right time to be at his best,” Boone added.
Rice homered in back-to-back games over the weekend against the Mets, including a leadoff shot on Sunday, giving him 38 home runs for the season. That total puts him in a tie with Houston’s Yordan Alvarez, the favorite for the American League MVP award, for second most in the league, trailing only Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero.
A Season of Two Halves
Rice’s production has been critical for a Yankees team that spent more than three months without Judge, who last played on May 31 before tests revealed a broken rib. Through that point, Rice was batting .306 with a 1.056 OPS and 17 home runs across 54 games.
Over his next 66 games, however, Rice hit just .204 with a .727 OPS, though he still managed 16 home runs during that stretch, which included a strong July. Rice appeared to face tougher pitching without Judge protecting him in the lineup.
By mid-August, Rice began heating up again. Combined with struggles from Grisham, that turnaround pushed him back into the leadoff role — a spot he has occupied at various points over the past three seasons: 10 times in 2024, 21 times in 2025, and, as of Monday, 25 times in 2026.
“I love it,” Judge said. “Great at-bats, he can pop a homer like he did [Sunday] to start off the game for us, or he’s going to give you a 9-, 10-pitch at-bat. When he’s leading off like that, I want him getting the most at-bats. It’s just fun to see him develop this whole year, going from being a 4-hitter, 3-hitter, 2-hitter, leadoff guy for us. … I love having him hit in front of me.”
If Judge and Rice can both be productive heading into the playoffs, alongside the more contact-oriented power of Cody Bellinger and Luis García Jr., the Yankees could field a formidable top of the lineup.
“Last year, [Rice] really came of age at this level and established himself as a force, as someone to be reckoned with,” Boone said. “Then this year, I think has ratcheted it up even more and become one of the better hitters in the game. He’s obviously had a great season on balance. I think he’s done a great job of, he’s obviously had some real hot stretches. Had a stretch where he struggled a little bit, but kind of weathered that storm too.”
