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Ben Rice

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For other people named Ben Rice, see Ben Rice (disambiguation).

Ben Rice
Rice in 2024
New York Yankees – No. 22
First baseman / Designated hitter / Catcher
Born: (1999-02-22) February 22, 1999 (age 26)
Cohasset, Massachusetts, U.S.
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
MLB debut
June 18, 2024, for the New York Yankees
MLB statistics
(through 2025 season)
Batting average.234
Home runs33
Runs batted in88
Stats at Baseball Reference Edit this at Wikidata
Teams

Benjamin Kimball Rice (born February 22, 1999) is an American professional baseball first baseman, designated hitter and catcher for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Rice played college baseball for Dartmouth College and was selected by the Yankees in the 12th round of the 2021 MLB draft. He made his MLB debut in 2024.

Early life

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Rice grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts.[1] He began playing hockey at a young age before pursuing baseball.[2] He rooted for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB), despite most of his friends supporting their rivals, the Boston Red Sox; his favorite player was Derek Jeter.[1]

Career

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Amateur career

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Rice attended Noble and Greenough School in Dedham, Massachusetts, and Dartmouth College, where he played college baseball for the Dartmouth Big Green.[3] He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Dartmouth.[4] The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in decreased playing opportunities, but Rice helped organize scrimmages among Ivy League baseball players in 2020 to offset this.[4] In 2021, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League.[5]

Minor leagues

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The Yankees selected Rice in the 12th round, with the 363rd overall selection, of the 2021 MLB draft.[6] Rice spent his first professional season with the rookie–level Florida Complex League Yankees and Single–A Tampa Tarpons, hitting .197 in 23 combined games.

Rice spent the 2022 campaign back with Tampa, playing in 68 games and hitting .267/.368/.442 with nine home runs and 36 runs batted in (RBIs).[7] He started the 2023 with Tampa before being promoted to the High–A Hudson Valley Renegades and Double–A Somerset Patriots during the season.[8] In 73 games split between the three affiliates, Rice accumulated a .324/.434/.615 slash line with 20 home runs, 68 RBIs, and 11 stolen bases.[9]

Rice began the 2024 season with Somerset. He was promoted to the Triple–A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on June 5, for whom he batted .294/.428/.661 in 109 at bats.[10][9]

Major leagues

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On June 18, 2024, the Yankees promoted Rice to the major leagues.[11] He made his debut that day against the Baltimore Orioles. He recorded his first major league hit in the third inning with a single to right field.[12] On July 6, in a game against the Boston Red Sox, Rice became the first rookie in Yankees history to hit three home runs in one game;[13] his seven RBIs also matched Lou Gehrig's record for a Yankee rookie.[13] After an initial hot streak, Rice fell into an extended slump and was demoted to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in late August.[14] Rice finished his MLB season with a .171 batting average, .613 OPS, 7 home runs, and 23 RBIs in 50 games.[15]

In the offseason, Rice added approximately 10 pounds of muscle in an effort to improve his offensive production.[16] Following a strong performance in spring training, Rice made the Yankees' Opening Day roster for the 2025 season,[17] and went on to produce elite offensive metrics while seeing time as designated hitter, first-baseman, and catcher.[18] On May 11, he hit his first career grand slam against the Athletics.[19] He finished the regular season with a .255 batting average, .836 OPS, 26 home runs, and 65 RBIs in 530 plate appearances.[18] He hit a home run in his first postseason at-bat during an October 1 wild card game against Boston.[18]

Personal life

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Rice's father, Dan, played college baseball as a pitcher for Brown University.[20]

Rice speaks Spanish, having learned it in middle school and continued taking classes in college.[21] He practiced the language further when he reached the minor leagues, finding it particularly helpful for communicating with Spanish-speaking pitchers.[21]

References

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  1. ^ a b Abraham, Peter. "Ben Rice grew up a Yankees fan in Cohasset and made New York history with three homers vs. Red Sox". The Boston Globe. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Serby, Steve (June 23, 2024). "Ben Rice's father, Dan, exudes the pride of being a Yankees parent". New York Post. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  3. ^ Miller, Randy (February 3, 2024). "Yankees' Ben Rice gave up hockey (unlike mom), but the New Englander who loved Derek Jeter now is a hotshot prospect | Q&A". nj.com.
  4. ^ a b Rublin, Daniel. "Q&A with Yankees prospect Ben Rice '22". The Dartmouth. Retrieved July 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "Ben Rice". pointstreak.com. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  6. ^ Dudek, Greg. "From fan to draft pick: Cohasset's Ben Rice selected by New York Yankees". The Patriot Ledger.
  7. ^ "Ben Rice - Stats - Batting". fangraphs.com. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  8. ^ "Double-A call-up makes early splash in Yankees crowded catcher picture". Yahoo Sports. August 10, 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Ben Rice Stats & Scouting Report". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "This Yanks prospect's power surge set to hit The Show". MLB.com.
  11. ^ "Yankees Place Ian Hamilton, Cody Poteet On Injured List". mlbtraderumors.com. June 18, 2024. Retrieved June 18, 2024.
  12. ^ Blum, Ronald (June 19, 2024). "Ben Rice has the scoop for his major league debut with Yankees". AP News. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
  13. ^ a b "Rice makes Yanks history with 3-HR game vs. Red Sox". MLB.com. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  14. ^ Maher, Tyler. "Yankees Rising Star Reveals What's Behind Stunning Power Increase". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  15. ^ "Ben Rice Batting Statistics, MLB".
  16. ^ Joyce, Greg. "Ben Rice hoping 'huge strides' with body will help toward Yankees roster spot". New York Post. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
  17. ^ "Ben Rice, Jasson Domínguez named to Yankees' Opening Day roster". March 26, 2025.
  18. ^ a b c Goodman, Max. "With Ben Rice cooking, Yankees have another 'tough' call with season on line". NJ.com. Retrieved October 3, 2025.
  19. ^ DeRosa, Theo (May 11, 2025). "Rice's first career slam a balm for two plunkings as Yanks roll". MLB.com. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  20. ^ Loftus, Mike (July 6, 2020). "Cohasset's Ben Rice gets a chance to play ball, after all". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved June 22, 2025.
  21. ^ a b Geitheim, Eva (March 4, 2025). "Elly De La Cruz Was Absolutely Delighted When Ben Rice Surprised Him With Perfect Spanish". SI. Retrieved April 4, 2025.
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