Break the Rice
Ben Rice (NYY): 3-5, 2B, HR, 2 R, 7 RBI, BB.
The Yankees are doing all they can to hold onto the last Wild Card spot in the American League. As of Saturday, the Guardians are 2.5 games behind and the Royals are four games behind.
It’s going to be hard for Cleveland and Kansas City to surpass the Yankees if Ben Rice can continue to thrive at the plate.
After hitting .181 and .232 in June and July, respectively, the Yankees catcher is hitting .311 in 51 plate appearances this August. He also has a .906 OPS to go along with two home runs and 10 RBI.
On Saturday, Rice added to those totals with a home run and seven RBI as well as three hits. For the season, he is hitting .240 with an .804 OPS and 18 home runs in 392 plate appearances. However, he has been notably better at the plate after the All-Star Break. Since the Midsummer Classics, the 26-year-old Dartmouth grad is hitting .260 with an .850 OPS in 90 plate appearances.
The main question is this: Can Rice keep it up at the plate to help the Yankees clinch a playoff spot?
The Statcast metrics are encouraging. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate, and his barrel rate ranks in the 95th percentile. Thus, Rice is demonstrating that this surge is for real. That is not just good for the Yankees but anyone who rostered him in fantasy leagues, especially with the regular season in fantasy coming to a close soon.
Let’s see how the other hitters did Saturday
Myles Straw (TOR): 4-5, 2 HR, 3 R, 5 RBI.
The new surroundings, North of the Border, have suited Straw well. He’s hitting .260 with a .666 OPS in 248 plate appearances, and on Saturday, he hit his third and fourth home runs of the year. At 30 years old, Straw is a platoon/bench outfielder who is known more for his glove than his bat. That said, he’s showing that he can at least be semi-productive at the plate now, which wasn’t the case in his last two years in Cleveland.
Dylan Carlson (BAL): 2-4, 3B, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB.
It’s been a rough first season in Baltimore for the former Cardinals top prospect. In 182 plate appearances, he’s hitting .207 with a .607 OPS. Thus, it’s not a surprise that Carlson has spent a reasonable amount of time in Triple-A Norfolk to figure things out. Considering he’ll be 27 years old next year, time could be running out for Carlson, though his two-hit, one-homer night on Saturday does help.
Aaron Judge (NYY): 2-3, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI, 2 BB.
In addition to Rice, Judge also homered, his 39th home run of the season. Due to some time on IL, he likely won’t replicate his 2024 AL MVP campaign. However, when he is healthy, there may not be a better power hitter in the game than Judge.
Michael Harris III (ATL): 2-5, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
Harris’s insane second half continues. In Atlanta’s 10-1 victory over the Guardians, Harris collected two hits and launched his 14th home run of the season. Since the All-Star Break, the outfielder is hitting .386 with a 1.121 OPS and eight home runs in 117 plate appearances. The 24-year-old outfielder could be building himself up to be a dark horse in fantasy drafts next season.
Adrian Del Castillo (ARI): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 3 RBI.
The Diamondbacks lost again to the Rockies, but it was a big day for Del Castillo. The catcher had two hits and collected his second home run of the season. It’s been a small sample for Del Castillo, but he is only hitting .239 with a .671 OPS in 71 plate appearances. With Gabriel Moreno on the shelf, Del Castillo will get plenty of at-bats to prove that he is capable of handling a long-term role in Arizona.
Ke’Bryan Hayes (CIN): 2-4, 2B, HR, R, 2 RBI.
The Reds fell to the Brewers again, but Hayes certainly made a strong effort at the plate. Since coming over to the Reds, Hayes has matched his home run total from Pittsburgh in 85 fewer games. Furthermore, his OPS is up to .684 after it was only .569 in Pittsburgh. Granted, those numbers aren’t significant, but they should give Reds fans some hope with Hayes for 2026.
Masyn Winn (STL): 2-5, HR, R, 3 RBI.
The Cardinals lost to the Yankees at Busch Stadium for a second-straight night. However, Winn had a big night with two hits and his ninth home run of the season. St. Louis is allowing Winn to be the Cardinals’ leadoff hitter down the stretch. The lineup move makes sense, especially since he is hitting .303 with a .771 OPS after the All-Star break.
Troy Johnston (MIA): 2-2, HR, R, RBI, SB.
The 28-year-old rookie first baseman hasn’t been great in his first 12 games at the MLB level. In 29 plate appearances, he is only hitting .214 with a .598 OPS. However, the older rookie took some steps in the right direction on Saturday with a home run and a stolen base, both his first in the majors. With the Marlins fading from the postseason race, Johnston will likely continue to get more at-bats.
John Rave (KCR): 2-3, HR, 2 R, RBI.
After a hot start to the second half, Rave has cooled down a bit recently. As a result, he’s not been in the lineup as much, which was the case initially on Saturday against the White Sox. However, Vinnie Pasquantino had to leave due to heat-related issues, and Rave made the most of his opportunity. He hit his fourth home run of the year and also scored two runs. With a .269 average and .886 OPS in 60 plate appearances after the All-Star break, Rave is showing that he could at least be a backup outfielder at the MLB level.
