The New York Yankees got off to a red-hot start this season, putting some distance between themselves and the rest of the American League East. However, that momentum quickly dissipated with a five-game losing streak that was finally snapped with a comeback win over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night.
The Bronx Bombers won 94 games last season and were the top American League wild card team before losing to the eventual pennant winning Toronto Blue Jays in the ALDS. The offseason was relatively quiet for the Yankees, as they didn’t add any major pieces that weren’t previously on the roster.
However, despite their struggles lately, the 9-7 Yankees have been getting a lot of production out of young first baseman Ben Rice, who is hitting .362/.508/.745 with four home runs, 12 RBI and a 1.253 OPS.
In the latest power rankings courtesy of The Athletic, the Yankees sat at No. 2 behind the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers thanks to Rice’s hot start.
“In all of baseball, nine hitters entered this week already worth at least 1.0 fWAR,” Chad Jennings wrote. “One of them is a Yankee, but probably not the one you’re expecting. It’s Rice, the first baseman, who had a breakout 2025 season and continues to rake this year. He leads all qualified hitters in wRC+, which might be a bigger deal for the Yankees if not for the fact that five of their lineup regulars — Trent Grisham, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Austin Wells, Ryan McMahon and José Caballero — have a wRC+ well below 100.”
New York Yankees’ Ben Rice Off to Hot Start
Rice has been a bright spot for the Yankees’ offense so far this season. As a team, they have hit .214/.319/.380 with a .698 OPS and have only scored 76 runs, which, is near the bottom of Major League Baseball.
But Rice has proven that he is the right man for the job at first base so far. The Bronx Bombers did bring back Paul Goldschmidt, but Rice is likely going to be starting most of the time, and with good reason. He showed flashes of his potential last season and is continuing to impress for the Yankees as they try to overcome their ALDS loss.
The five-game losing streak certainly slowed their momentum a little bit, but as long as Rice continues to hit, the Yankees will be in a good spot, especially with the AL East being weaker than it has in recent years.
Can Yankees Rise to Top of Weak AL East?
The Yankees are currently tied at the top of the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles, who are also 9-7 to start the season. The division isn’t quite as strong as it used to be, which could pave the way for the Yankees to get back on top for the third time in the last five years.
As long as Rice stays hot, they have a chance to improve offensively and pull away from the rest of the pack. It will be interesting to see what happens next for New York.
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