Why Ben Rice isn't playing for Yankees tonight despite league-leading stat

Why Ben Rice isn't playing for Yankees tonight despite league-leading stat originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Yankees are without their best hitter of the 2026 season on Monday.

Ben Rice isn't in the lineup despite entering the matchup leading all of MLB in OPS.

Rice has a 1.256 OPS so far. He's been phenomenal.

But he finds a seat on the bench to take on the Angels in a series opener.

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Why isn't Ben Rice playing tonight?

Simply put, Rice is sitting because the Yankees are taking on a left-handed starter.

Yusei Kikuchi is on the mound for the Angels.

The Yanks use this opportunity to get their right-handed bench bats a start, including Paul Goldschmidt.

That comes at the expense of Rice, though, who is supposed to get more at bats against lefties this year, based on what Aaron Boone said before the season.

With how locked in Rice is, it's almost painful to take him out of the lineup. You assume he'd hit just fine against Kikuchi.

He should be available as a pinch-hitter later in the game, particularly if it's close and a righty reliever comes in.

But at least to start the night, Rice won't be on the field.

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