Ben Rice’s two-homer day gave the Yankees a win and Aaron Boone summed it up in one word

The New York Yankees needed a win. Not just to split a four-game series in Tampa, but to remind themselves they still have some teeth. On Thursday, they got it — a 12-4 thumping of the Rays — and a rookie catcher named Ben Rice was the one swinging the hammer.

Rice went deep twice. The second one, a no-doubt shot in the later innings, drew a specific reaction from manager Aaron Boone after the game.

“Obviously the first home run was huge, but that second one, it felt like a little bit of a dagger,” Boone told reporters, via YES Network and MLB.com. “Like, ‘Okay, we got this.’ Not that you ever feel comfortable because you don’t… But really good to see him have a lot of really good at-bats this series.”

Yankees lineup finally shows some life

The offense has been a mess for weeks. The Yankees have been hovering around .500 in recent series, and with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton both on the injured list, the lineup has looked thin. Guys who should be producing aren’t, and the stretch before the All-Star break was starting to feel like a slog.

Then Rice happened. Two homers, loud contact all day, and a win that keeps New York within four games of Tampa Bay for the AL East lead. That’s not nothing. This division has been wide open for a while and the Yankees are still in it.

Trade deadline decisions are coming

Even with Thursday’s win, the front office knows the roster has holes. The lineup has underperformed for too long to pretend one game fixes everything. Expect the Yankees to be active before the trade deadline looking for bats. They’ve been linked to outfielders and infielders who can hit, and with Judge and Stanton expected back eventually, the reinforcements on the IL are not a permanent fix but a band-aid.

Still, the timing of this win matters. The Yankees head into the All-Star break with a little momentum. A rookie catcher hitting like a veteran changes the mood fast in a clubhouse that needed a shot of confidence. Boone said it himself — that second homer was the dagger. And for one afternoon, the Yankees looked like the team they thought they’d be all year.