Ben Rice walked into the series against the Tampa Bay Rays carrying the kind of numbers that make a slump look louder than it should. Since the start of June, he had hit .200/.298/.391 with a 91 wRC+, and the stat line came with a -0.1 WAR that made him a net negative for the New York Yankees over that stretch.
Then the bat woke up.
Rice hammered four home runs and drove in nine runs in the four-game set, and even though the Yankees didn’t gain any ground in the American League East, his power kept them within four games of first place. The 0.5 WAR he added in that series against Tampa was more than enough to erase the damage from the previous 40 days. And it came against a Rays pitching staff that entered with a 3.82 team ERA, a group Rice handled with ease.
Now the Yankees head to Washington, D.C., and the matchup sets up even better. The Nationals have one of the weakest staffs in baseball, with a 4.77 team ERA that ranks fifth-worst in MLB. They’ve also been especially vulnerable to the long ball, allowing 1.39 home runs per nine innings, also fifth-worst, while their 13.3% home run rate on fly balls ranks fourth-worst.
That gives Rice another chance to keep the damage coming and maybe put the June slump in the rearview mirror for good. He said he wasn’t dwelling on it.
"Like I've said in the past, it's such a long year," Rice said, according to SNY's Robert Sanchez. "You're bound to go through the ups and downs. Just leaning on the guys in the clubhouse and the locker room and go out here and just have an approach, stick to it, be convicted in it, and hopefully good things will happen."
The Yankees need that version of Rice badly. Aaron Judge is out for the foreseeable future, and there’s a real chance he won’t be 100% when he comes back from the IL. That leaves a heavy load on a young hitter in his second full season in the majors after breaking out last year.
It’s a lot to ask, but the Yankees don’t have many other options right now. Rice has the tools, and his Baseball Savant page shows plenty of red.
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Yankees Just Made A Pick That Brings Back A Familiar Feeling
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For now, the appeal is in the flexibility. Pettitte showed real pop as a designated hitter at Dallas Baptist, but the Yankees are also interested in seeing what he can do on the mound once he is fully recovered. It is the kind of pick that fits New Yorks tendency to stay open-minded with talent, especially when a player offers more than one way to help. [Read more 🡒]