Ben Rice Has Been Fantastic For New York Yankees In 2025

Ben Rice has been fantastic for the Yankees in 2025, and he hit his 10th home run of the season last night. He is primarily the designated hitter for the Yankees, and because of his offensive output, the Yankees do not miss injured slugger Giancarlo Stanton.

Rice also has great defensive flexibility. When Stanton comes back, the Yankees will have an interesting roster conundrum, but the defensive flexibility and his higher offense make him a highly unlikely roster victim. He has added 10 pounds of muscle for this season and claims that it helps. Do you think adding more muscle is helpful to baseball players?

Ben Rice’s 2025 Season and Career Stats

Ben Rice has played two seasons with the Yankees. Last year, outside of a game where he hit 3 home runs, he batted just .171. That was his rookie year, and to their credit, the Yankees did not give up on him. This year, he has been much better. He is still only hitting .259, but he has 10 home runs. He has added 10 pounds of muscle in the offseason. He claims it helps. Many think, however, that adding muscle can hurt your baseball swing and make a player more likely to get injured. Just look at Stanton.

Rice has been outstanding this season. When you add in his defensive flexibility, he has been a great asset for the Yankees. The fact that he can play so many positions means he is like having three or four players on the roster. That should protect him as the Yankees add more players. This will particularly be the case when Stanton returns from injury.

Ben Rice’s Defensive Flexibility

Rice has been the Yankees’ designated hitter, primarily against left-handed starting pitchers. His production has made the Yankees not miss the injured Stanton. The Yankees will have an interesting roster decision to make when Stanton returns from his injuries. Before the offensive explosion of Rice, he would have been an obvious roster victim. However, he has been so good, it is not obvious anymore. If he keeps it up, and there is every indication he will, the Yankees will have a difficult roster decision to make.

Rice is also nice because he plays multiple positions. He adds a degree of flexibility that few players do. He can spell Paul Goldschmidt at first base. He bats leadoff sometimes for the Yankees. He is the Yankees’ third-string catcher. There is an argument to be made that he will be the backup catcher when Stanton comes back. JC Escarra is now the most likely roster casualty when Stanton returns. Rice even took ground balls at third base recently, just for fun, he said. That is a position of need for the Yankees.

Conclusion

Rice has been great for the Yankees this season. Last night, he hit his 10th home run for the Yankees as he was the team’s designated hitter. He also adds a degree of defensive flexibility that few players do. It is funny how injuries to starters give other players opportunities. That is the case with Stanton and Rice. Rice has taken advantage of his opportunity, and he has done so well that he will make it difficult for the New York Yankees this season when injured players come back from injury.