It has been a memorable season for New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice. On Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays, the left-handed hitter connected on his 40th (and 41st) home run of the season.
BEN RICE
40 HOME RUNS pic.twitter.com/iUr8glMpwg— MLB (@MLB) September 23, 2026
Ben Rice homers again!
He makes it a 4-way tie atop the AL leaderboard with 41 HR! pic.twitter.com/NvQxD3nui9
— MLB (@MLB) September 24, 2026
According to MLB, Rice became only the second Yankees draft pick to hit 40 home runs in a season. Sarah Langs also reports that Rice joined Judge and Joe DiMaggio as the only Yankees to hit 40 or more home runs within three years of beginning their career. Judge hit 52 in 2017 and DiMaggio hit 46 in 1937.
Article Continues BelowRice has certainly enjoyed a strong start to his big league career. He made his debut in 2024 but appeared in only 50 games. In 2025, Rice connected on 26 long balls while recording an .836 OPS in 138 games played. Rice currently holds an .897 OPS to go along with the aforementioned 41 homers following his two long balls on Wednesday.
The Yankees are gearing up for the American League Wild Card series. New York is likely going to play the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card round. Their biggest question is whether or not they will have Aaron Judge.
Judge is on the IL at the moment with a calf injury. Manager Aaron Boone recently suggested that Judge may not be available for the first round of the postseason, but Judge said he is planning to be ready for the Wild Card series.
If Judge is not available, the Yankees will certainly need Rice to step up. Even if Judge is in the lineup, a big Rice series would not hurt matters.