Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he expects Rice to play "a lot" against left-handed pitchers in 2026, Greg Joyce of the New York Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The left-handed-hitting Rice's playing time against southpaws in 2025 was limited, though that was due in large part to Paul Goldschmidt's effectiveness versus lefties. Rice hit only .208 over 119 regular-season plate appearances against left-handers this past season, but he slugged seven home runs while boasting a .481 slugging percentage in those matchups. Heading into his age-27 season, Rice will be the Yankees' primary first baseman in 2026, and he could get an opportunity to be an everyday player.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Thursday that he views Rice as the team's primary first baseman next season, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.

EDGE Analysis

Rice split time between designated hitter (48 starts), first base (46 starts) and catcher (26 starts) in 2025, slashing .255/.337/.499 with 26 home runs across 530 regular-season plate appearances. Boone didn't rule out Rice serving as the team's No. 2 or No. 3 catcher in 2026, but most of the 26-year-old's playing time is expected to come at first base next season.

Rice is not in the lineup Wednesday for Game 4 of the ALDS versus the Blue Jays.

EDGE Analysis

The Yankees are turning to Paul Goldschmidt at first base as the Blue Jays go with a bullpen game. Rice is 4-for-18 with one home run, four RBI and a 1:8 BB:K across five games this postseason.

Rice will start at first base and bat fifth Thursday in Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Red Sox.

EDGE Analysis

The left-handed-hitting Rice usually yields to Paul Goldschmidt at first base versus left-handed pitching. However, after going 2-for-4 with a home run in Game 2, Rice will draw another start at the position as the Red Sox send southpaw Connelly Early to the mound.

Rice is not in the lineup Tuesday for Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Yankees.

EDGE Analysis

With tough southpaw Garrett Crochet toeing the rubber for the Red Sox, the left-handed-hitting Rice will begin the contest on the bench. It will be Paul Goldschmidt at first base and Austin Wells doing the catching for the Yankees.

Rice is not in the lineup for Friday's contest versus the Orioles.

EDGE Analysis

After five consecutive starts, Rice will take a seat in Friday's series opener. The Yankees will roll with Paul Goldschmidt at first base and Austin Wells at catcher.

Rice went 4-for-5 with a grand slam, a double and five total RBI in Sunday's 7-1 win over the Orioles in 10 innings.

EDGE Analysis

Rice got the Yankees on the board in the sixth inning with a two-out RBI single, tying the game at 1-1, before delivering the decisive blast in the 10th inning, a 413-foot grand slam off lefty Keegan Akin to put New York ahead 5-1. Rice had just one home run in his last 20 games prior to Sunday, though he's gone 14-for-33 (.424) over his last 10 contests. Overall, Rice is slashing .252/.335/.488 with 24 homers, 62 RBI and 69 runs scored across 510 plate appearances this season.

Rice is not in the Yankees' starting lineup against the Twins on Monday.

EDGE Analysis

Even with the Twins sending right-hander Simeon Woods-Richardson to the mound, the lefty-hitting Rice will be on the bench for the beginning of Monday's game while veteran Paul Goldschmidt starts at first base and bats sixth. Rice has collected at least one hit in each of last four games, going 6-for-14 (.429 average) with four doubles and two RBI over that span.

Rice went 3-for-5 with a solo home run and a second run scored in Wednesday's 11-2 win over the Nationals.

EDGE Analysis

The Yankees launched six homers in total on the afternoon, with Rice's coming off Shinnosuke Ogasawara as part of a nine-run third inning -- only his sixth long ball of the season off a left-hander, compared to 16 off righties. Rice has bashed his way into a strong-side platoon role for New York as he splits his time between first base and catcher, and over his last 10 games he's batting .353 (12-for-34) with a double, a triple, five homers, eight runs and 11 RBI.

Rice went 1-for-3 with a solo homer, two walks and an additional run scored in Monday's 10-5 win versus Washington.

EDGE Analysis

The New York slugger garnered the start at catcher and pushed his team's lead to 2-0 with a titanic 435-foot solo shot off Nationals starter Brad Lord in the third. Rice has entered the conversation as one of the best fantasy backstops, as he's batted .290 (20-for-69) with five homers, 13 RBI, eight runs scored and a 12:15 BB:K in 21 games this month. Across 423 total plate appearances, the Dartmouth product is now slashing .241/.339/.488 with 57 runs scored and 48 RBI.