The New York Yankees are under a lot of pressure to get back to the World Series after reaching it in 2024 and falling short in 2025.
Yankees general manager Brian Cashman is bringing back a team close to the one he had last season, hoping they can replicate their 94 wins and have a better postseason.
Nonetheless, there is hope that other players take a step forward with their production, and one of them could be Ben Rice. Last season, Rice hit .255 with 119 hits, 26 home runs, 65 RBIs, and 74 runs scored in 138 games, per StatMuse.
Ahead of the 2026 season, WFAN’s Tommy Lugauer predicts that Rice will outperform his home run total from last season.
“The guy that I’m looking at to have a monster breakout year, Ben Rice,” Lugauer said in a March 24 video from WFAN. “I think Ben Rice, and this is a bold one, but I think Ben Rice is going to hit 40 home runs. He’s that talented. When it’s all said and done and the dust settles on this season, Aaron Judge will have another MVP‑type year. That goes without saying.”
Yankees’ Ben Rice Could Be No. 2 Guy In the Bronx
Moreover, Lugauer isn’t focusing only on the home run total; as part of his prediction, he sees Rice emerging as the Yankees’ No. 2 guy behind Aaron Judge this season, meaning the 27-year-old could catapult himself into stardom.
“It will be Ben Rice who settles in as the second‑best player on the New York Yankees, and I think he gets the 40 home runs,” Lugauer added. “I think he’s that skilled, and I believe he will surpass Cody Bellinger as the second‑best player on the New York Yankees, the Robin to Aaron Judge’s Batman, if you will. So I’m anticipating a monster 40‑home‑run season from Ben.”
Lugauer isn’t the only one who’s expecting a big season from Rice. Yankees veteran Paul Goldschmidt shared his thoughts on the first baseman recently as he looks to become a valuable piece for New York.
“He’s a great player, a very smart player, and very hard-working,” Goldschmidt told SNY on Feb. 11. “I saw him just improve a lot last year. The more experience he gets, he’s just going to keep improving over there, keep working, make adjustments, and just has the potential to be a really great player.”
Aaron Judge Gets Strong Message for 2026 Season
Meanwhile, Rice isn’t the only Yankees player to receive a blunt message as WFAN’s Craig Carton says it’s Judge, not the Yankees, who desperately needs to win a World Series if he wants to receive consideration for being among the franchise’s all-time greats.
“If I had to rank in my head who involved with the Yankees needs to win a championship the most, it’s not the Yankees,” Carton said in a March 19 video from WFAN. “The Yankees have 27 of them, and they’re in the playoffs every single year. And when’s the last time the Yankees were under .500 for a regular season? It’s been a quarter century. So, the New York Yankees have nothing to prove to anybody.
“They are the winningest team of the last 30 years in Major League Baseball. But Aaron Judge desperately needs a championship to solidify himself as one of the great Yankees of all time, which he cannot lay claim to without the ring. And you only need one. You don’t need five, nope. But you have to have one.”
Yankees’ Ben Rice Lands Big Prediction for 2026 Season