Why Ben Rice isn't playing for Yankees tonight despite league-leading stat
Yankees fans probably aren't thrilled about this.
Why Ben Rice isn't playing for Yankees tonight despite league-leading stat originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The New York Yankees are without their best hitter of the 2026 season on Monday.
Ben Rice isn't in the lineup despite entering the matchup leading all of MLB in OPS. Rice has a 1. 256 OPS so far.
He's been phenomenal. But he finds a seat on the bench to take on the Angels in a series opener. MORE: Blue Jays' Ernie Clement is a battle between old-school and new-age baseball Why isn't Ben Rice playing tonight?
Simply put, Rice is sitting because the Yankees are taking on a left-handed starter. Yusei Kikuchi is on the mound for the Angels. The Yanks use this opportunity to get their right-handed bench bats a start, including Paul Goldschmidt.