Ben Rice has found himself in the American League MVP conversation for much of the season.
That’s even with a healthy Aaron Judge — or so we thought — hitting in the same lineup and looking for his third straight MVP.
But now Rice, like the rest of the Yankees lineup, is facing a new challenge: hitting without Judge’s bat to protect them.
For Rice, it’s especially true, as he’s hit directly in front of Judge for much of the year.
In the four games prior to Saturday’s rainout against Boston, Rice instead had Paul Goldschmidt hitting behind him.
Goldschmidt, still a dangerous hitter — particularly against lefties — doesn’t offer quite the protection Judge did.
“He’s a big presence to not have in our lineup,” Rice said after Friday’s loss in The Bronx. “It’s definitely gonna hurt us, but all we can do is keep moving forward.”
Asked if not having Judge’s bat behind him might add pressure to his at-bats, Rice said, “No. I focus on today. We’ll evaluate it at the end.”
And not having Judge — even the limited version he said he’s been since late April, when he believes he first injured the right rib that will likely sideline him for two months — will surely impact the way pitchers approach the Yankee lineup.
As to whether he thinks he’ll be pitched to differently in Judge’s absence, Rice said, “It’s not for me to say. We’ll see what happens. All I can control is the pitches I swing at and don’swing at.”
In four games without Judge, Rice is 4-for-14 with three walks and six strikeouts and had a double and a homer.
Hitting coach James Rowson recently praised Rice’s work ethic behind the scenes, especially with his willingness to study how opposing pitchers pitches to him.
“That’s part of what’s made him better,’’ Rowson said. “It’s not just talent. A lot of guys are talented. The great ones prepare differently and I see how he prepares behind the scenes.”
His process has worked well so far, as Rice entered Saturday with an OPS of 1.051 on the season, trailing only Houston’s Yordan Alvarez.
Rice’s walk rate is up from a year ago, as is his strikeout rate, but he’s about to be tested this season as he hasn’t before.
He’ll be expected to be the biggest bat in the lineup, likely until Judge returns later in the season.
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While the Yankees have been careful not to apply a timeline to Judge’s injury, his injury won’t be imaged again for at least another month and he’ll need to built up before he’s back in games.
In Friday’s loss, Rice had a homer and went 2-for-3 as the No. 2 hitter, but the three batters behind him, Goldschmidt, Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr. combined to go 0-for-11.
That stopped the Yankees from putting much together offensively outside of solo homers by Rice and Trent Grisham, who hit one spot ahead of Rice.
The Yankees will need more production throughout their lineup to remain near the top of the AL East with Judge out, but Rice is as important as any hitter to make sure that happens.
