Ben Rice Just Crushed His 7th Home Run in 10 Games. The Yankees Needed That.

The New York Yankees have been stumbling through the summer, but Ben Rice is making sure they don’t fall flat on their faces. On Friday night, Rice opened the scoring against the Washington Nationals with a solo home run in the top of the first inning. That gave the Yanks a 1-0 lead and extended his absurd recent tear.

Rice has now hit seven home runs in his last 10 games. That’s not a typo. Seven homers in a week and a half of baseball.

Going into Friday’s game, the rookie first baseman/catcher/designated hitter was batting .275 with 90 hits, 28 home runs and 65 RBIs. He’s been especially hot this week. On Thursday, he blasted two homers in a 12-4 rout of the Tampa Bay Rays. He followed that up by launching another one the next night.

This is a guy who just keeps hitting. And the Yankees absolutely need it right now.

With Aaron Judge on the injured list with a rib issue and the rest of the lineup struggling to generate consistent power, Rice has stepped into the void. He’s not just filling in. He’s carrying the offense some nights.

Rice made his MLB debut on June 18, 2024, after spending parts of three seasons in the minors. On July 6 of that same season, he became the first Yankee rookie ever to hit three home runs in a single game. That came against the Boston Red Sox. It was a sign of things to come.

By the start of the 2025 season, Rice had earned a spot on the active roster as a versatile piece who could play first base, catch, or DH. He’s turned that multi-position flexibility into a permanent spot in the lineup.

He also announced this week that he’ll participate in the Home Run Derby and was selected for the AL All-Star team in Philadelphia. That’s a pretty good week by any standard.

The Yankees are sitting at 51-42, four games behind the Rays in the AL East. They’re not out of it, but they’re not exactly running away with anything either. Rice’s hot streak is the kind of thing that can keep a team afloat when everything else feels shaky.

For now, he’s just swinging the bat and letting the results speak for themselves. Seven homers in 10 games is a pretty loud statement.