Ben Rice gave the Yankees plenty to feel good about at the plate in 2025, but first base remains the part of his game that could come back to bite them.
The 41-home run season speaks for itself. Rice paired that power with a .897 OPS in the regular season, then kept producing in October by launching four homers across the Wild Card Series and the ALDS. That kind of bat is impossible to ignore, and he’s going to be a central piece of New York’s lineup again next season.
The issue is what happens when the ball gets put in play on the other side of the ledger. The Yankees need Rice to be better defensively at first base, because right now that glove work is a problem that could cost them a game or two. He’s also likely too young to be pushed into a full-time DH role.
“Despite how good Rice has proved to be as a hitter (41 home runs, .897 OPS), he was bad defensively at first last season,” The Athletic's Brendan Kuty wrote.
Kuty also pointed to just how rough the numbers were: “Of the 43 players who played 300 innings at the position, Rice ranked second to last in DRS at minus-8. Only the Seattle Mariners ' Josh Naylor was worse at minus-9," Kuty added.
The Yankees did have help around him, at least in theory. Paul Goldschmidt, a four-time Gold Glove Award winner, split time with Rice at first base. But Goldschmidt’s presence and the chance to learn from him didn’t appear to move the needle much.
Rice’s defensive development matters even more because of how the Yankees may want to deploy Luis Garcia Jr. and Aaron Judge. If Rice can hold down first, it gives New York more flexibility to get both of them more DH at-bats.
Garcia started his career at second base with the Washington Nationals, but he was one of the worst defenders in the sport at the position.
For the Yankees, a more reliable Rice at first base would do more than patch one weak spot. It would make the lineup easier to shape and the roster easier to build.
In Other News...
Anthony Volpes First Offseason Update After That Yankees Heartbreak
Anthony Volpes first offseason update arrived with the kind of contrast that tends to hit differently after a crushing October exit. After the Yankees were swept in the American League Division Series, the shortstop found himself tied to one of the defining moments of the elimination game against the Rays, when a potential tying home run was ruled fan interference and changed into an RBI double instead.
Away from that heartbreak, Volpes latest glimpse into the winter was a much lighter one. A social media post showed him with his girlfriend taking part in an infrared Pilates workout, a reminder that the offseason for players often mixes recovery, routine and a chance to step away from the noise of a lost season before the next one starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Could Soon Face Another Coaching Decision Fans Should Watch
As the Yankees sort through another offseason of staff planning, one of the quieter priorities appears to be keeping Matt Blake in place. The pitching coach is reportedly under consideration for a new deal, and that comes as the organization also faces the possibility of outside interest in Tanner Swanson, the director of catching, as the Mariners rebuild their coaching staff.
Swanson has become a significant behind-the-scenes piece for the Yankees, with his work on the catching side drawing notice for helping develop players such as Austin Wells. He has not shown any eagerness to leave New York, but with Seattle looking around for staff additions, this is the sort of coaching-market wrinkle Yankees fans will want to monitor closely. [Read more 🡒]
Yankees Already Face A Ryan Weathers Decision They Never Expected
The Yankees are already sorting through the fallout of an early postseason exit, and Ryan Weathers has unexpectedly become part of that conversation. Acquired in January, the left-hander gave them 25 starts in 2026 and finished with a 5-8 record and a 3.60 ERA, enough to keep him in the mix as the club weighs how to rework a pitching staff that needs both stability and flexibility.
What makes Weathers interesting now is the role the Yankees might ask of him next. He has been viewed as a possible bullpen fit or even a trade piece, a reminder that New York is juggling rotation depth against the need to rebuild the relief corps, all while factoring in injury risk and the free-agent departures looming over the staff. The decision on Weathers may say as much about the Yankees pitching blueprint as it does about the pitcher himself. [Read more 🡒]