Full name is Benjamin Kimball Rice...Played collegiately at Dartmouth University (2019-20), batting .242 (24-for-99) with nine runs, five doubles, two triples, one HR, 13 RBI, 10 BB and one SF in 30 games…Played only seven games in the 2020 season, and his entire 2021 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic...Hit .300 in 30 AB with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League in 2021...Graduate of Noble and Greenough School (Mass.), where he played both baseball and hockey…Served as captain of the baseball team as a senior, when he was named First Team All-Independent School League and the team MVP.
2024
In 50 games with the Yankees, batted .171 (26-for-152) with 20 R, six doubles, seven HR, 23 RBI, 20 BB, one HP and five SF… Appeared defensively at 1B (49 games, 41 starts) and C (one game)...Reached base in 28 of his 41 starts, including 24 of his first 30 starts from 6/18-8/2...Was just the sixth Yankee in franchise history to hit at least six HR in his first 24 career games, joining Gary Sánchez (11 HR from 2015-16), Shane Spencer (eight HR in 1998), Kevin Maas (eight HR in 1990), Shelley Duncan (six HR in 2007) and Steve Whitaker (six HR in 1966)…Was also just the seventh Yankee in franchise history to record at least 19 RBI in his first 24 career games (since RBI became an official stat in 1920), joining Joe DiMaggio (27 RBI in 1936), Shane Spencer (22 RBI in 1998), Mickey Mantle (22 RBI in 1951), George Selkirk (21 RBI in 1934), Gary Sánchez (21 RBI from 2015-16) and Hideki Matsui (21 RBI in 2003)...Batted .300 (6-for-20) with two doubles, two HR, 12 RBI and two SF with RISP over his first 21 games, from 6/18-7/11...Was signed to a Major League contract and selected to the active roster on 6/18…Made his Major League debut later that day vs. Baltimore (1-for-4)…Picked up his first Major League hit with a third-inning single...Recorded his first career RBI with a 10th-inning sacrifice fly on 6/19 vs. Baltimore...Hit .325/.413/.700 (13-for-40) with eight R, three doubles, four HR, 11 RBI and six BB over a 13-game span from 6/22-7/6...Made his first Major League appearance at C on 6/28 at Toronto after entering as a defensive replacement in the ninth...Hit his first career HR with a solo shot in the fifth inning on 7/4 vs. Cincinnati…Also batted leadoff in the starting lineup for the first time in his Major League career…Was just the fifth Yankee in the last 25 years (since 2000) to bat leadoff in the starting lineup within his first 15 career games, joining Anthony Volpe (4/12/23 at Cleveland and 4/14/23 vs. Minnesota), José Pirela (9/26/14 at Boston), Brett Gardner (five times from 6/30-7/11/08) and Bubba Crosby (4/21/04 at CWS)...Became the first rookie in franchise history to hit three HR in a game on 7/6 vs. Boston (3-for-5, three R, three HR, seven RBI)…Was the 26th player in Yankees history to hit at least three HR in a regular season game (36th time) and first to do so since Aaron Judge hit three HR on 9/22/23 vs. Arizona…Including the postseason, was the 27th player in Yankees history to accomplish the feat (39th time)…Hit his first career leadoff HR, a three-run HR in the fifth inning and a three-run HR in the seventh inning…Was just the second Yankee in franchise history to hit three HR from the leadoff spot, joining Aaron Hicks (7/1/18 vs. Boston)…Was the seventh Yankees first baseman (10th time) to hit three HR in a game, joining Anthony Rizzo (three HR on 4/26/22 vs. Baltimore), Mark Teixeira (three HR on 5/8/10 at Boston), Tony Clark (three HR on 8/28/04 at Toronto), Tino Martinez (three HR on 4/2/97 at Seattle), Johnny Mize (three HR on 9/15/50 at Detroit) and Lou Gehrig (four times: four HR on 6/3/32 at Philadelphia-AL, three HR on 5/22/30-G2 at Philadelphia-AL, three HR on 5/4/29 at Chicago-AL and three HR on 6/23/27 at Boston)...According to Elias, was the 34th rookie in the modern era to hit at least three HR in a game and first since the Athletics' Jordan Diaz on 5/9/23 at Yankee Stadium…According to Sarah Langs, was the third rookie in the modern era to hit three HR in a game from the leadoff spot, joining San Francisco’s Mike Yastrzemski (8/16/19 at Arizona) and Pittsburgh’s Andrew McCutchen (8/1/09 vs. Washington)…According to Elias, his 17 career games were the fifth-fewest by any player in Major League history to hit three HR in a game, trailing only Philadelphia’s Bobby Estalella (three HR in his 10th Major League game on 9/4/97 at Montreal), Cincinnati’s Aristides Aquino (three HR in his 10th Major League game on 8/10/19 vs. Chicago-NL), San Francisco’s Jarrett Parker (three HR in his 14th Major League game on 9/26/15 at Oakland) and San Diego’s Christian Villanueva (three HR in his 14th Major League game on 4/3/18 vs. Colorado)...At 25 years, 135 days, was the youngest Yankee to hit three HR in a game since Bobby Murcer hit three HR at 24 years, 35 days old on 6/24/70-G2 vs. Cleveland…Was the eighth-youngest Yankee in franchise history to hit three HR in a regular season game, trailing only Joe DiMaggio (22 years, 200 days on 6/13/37-G2 at St. Louis-AL), Tony Lazzeri (23 years, 184 days on 6/8/27 vs. Chicago-AL), Ben Chapman (23 years, 197 days on 7/9/32-G2 vs. Detroit), Mickey Mantle (23 years, 205 days on 5/13/55 vs. Detroit), Charlie Keller (23 years, 320 days on 7/28/40-G1 at Chicago-AL), Lou Gehrig (24 years, four days on 6/23/27 at Boston) and Bobby Murcer (24 years, 35 days on 6/24/70-G2 vs. Cleveland)...His seven RBI matched Lou Gehrig (7/23/25 vs. Washington-AL) for the most by a rookie in a game in franchise history (since RBI became an official stat in 1920)…Were the most by a Yankee since Matt Carpenter on 7/16/22 vs. Boston (also seven RBI)… Was the youngest Yankee to record seven RBI in a game since Joe Pepitone (seven RBI at 23 years, 325 days on 8/29/64-G1 vs. Boston)...According to Sarah Langs, was the second Yankees rookie with a multi-HR game from the leadoff spot (also Tom Tresh on 8/7/62 vs. Minnesota)...Was the 11th rookie in franchise history (13th time) to hit a leadoff HR, joining Anthony Volpe (4/14/23 vs. Minnesota), Derek Jeter (8/21/96 vs. California), Roberto Kelly (6/24/88 vs. Cleveland), Don Mattingly (8/3/83 at Toronto), Tom Tresh (6/27/62 vs. Minnesota), Mickey Mantle (9/13/51 vs. Detroit), Dixie Walker Jr. (three times: 7/4/33-G1 vs. Washington-AL, 7/8/33 vs. Detroit and 7/11/33 vs. St. Louis-AL), Chicken Hawks (6/21/1921-G2 at Boston), Sammy Vick (4/30/1919 vs. Philadelphia-AL) and Bert Daniels (7/8/1910 vs. Chicago-AL)...Was the 11th player in franchise history to hit a leadoff HR within his first two career home runs, joining Anthony Volpe (first career HR on 4/14/23 vs. Minnesota), Roberto Kelly (second career HR on 6/24/88 vs. Cleveland), Bobby Richardson (first career HR on 7/25/59 at Detroit), Snuffy Stirnweiss (second career HR on 6/25/44-G1 at Philadelphia-AL), Mark Koenig (first career HR on 4/23/26 vs. Boston), Chicken Hawks (second career HR on 6/21/1921-G2 at Boston), Aaron Ward (first career HR on 5/12/1920 vs. Chicago-AL), Sammy Vick (first career HR on 4/30/1919 vs. Philadelphia-AL), Fritz Maisel (first career HR on 9/3/1914 vs. Washington-AL) and Bert Daniels (first career HR on 7/8/1910 vs. Chicago-AL)...Was optioned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on 8/31...Was on the Yankees’ ALDS roster vs. Kansas City, but did not appear in a game...In 79 combined games with Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, batted .273/.400/.567 (79-for-289) with 65 R, 13 doubles, 24 HR, 59 RBI, 57 BB, six HP, three SF and 10 SB…Appeared defensively at 1B (33 games, all starts) and C (31 games, all starts)…Led Yankees farmhands in HR, and was tied for eighth in runs and total bases (164)…Began the season with Somerset, batting .261/.382/.511 (47-for-180) with 36 R, nine doubles, 12 HR, 26 RBI, 32 BB, four HP, one SF and eight SB in 49 games…Was promoted to Scranton/Wilkes Barre on 6/5, hitting .294/.428/.661 (32-for-109) with 29 R, four doubles, 12 HR, 33 RBI, 25 BB, two HP, two SF and two SB in 30 games.
2023
Was named by MLB Pipeline as the Yankees’ “Hitting Prospect of the Year” after batting .324/.434/.615 (89-for-275) with 62R, 18 doubles, one triple, 20HR, 68RBI, 44BB and 11SB in 73 combined games with Single-A Tampa, High-A Hudson Valley and Double-A Somerset…ranked among qualified Yankees farmhands in home runs (seventh) and RBI (tied for eighth)…began the season with Hudson Valley, hitting .341/.559/.523 (15-for-44) with 15R, 2 doubles, 2HR, 10RBI, 18BB and 3SB in 15 games…was assigned to Tampa on 7/1 and batted .286/.405/.543 (10-for-35) with 7R, three doubles, 2HR, 10RBI, 5BB and 1SB in 10 games…was promoted to Somerset on 7/18, hitting .327/.401/.648 (64-for-196) with 40R, 13 doubles, one triple, 16HR, 48RBI, 21BB and 7SB in 48 games…earned Eastern League “Player of the Week” honors for 8/7-13 after hitting .522/.577/.957 (12-for-23) with 7R, four doubles, 2HR, 9RBI, 2BB and 2SB in six games…was named the Eastern League “Player of the Month” for August after batting .345/.397/.700 (38-for-110) with 24R, seven doubles, one triple, 10HR, 29RBI, 8BB and 6SB in 26 games with Somerset…following the season was tabbed by Baseball America as the “Best Hitter for Average” among Yankees farmhands…was named an MiLB.com Organization All-Star.
2022
Spent the entire season with Single-A Tampa, batting .267 (55-for-206) with 32R, 9 doubles, 9HR, 36RBI, 28BB and 4SB in 68 games.
2021
Made his professional debut, batting .197 (13-for-66) with 3HR and 13RBI in 22 games between the FCL Yankees and Low-A Tampa.
