Yankees sit red-hot Ben Rice again so he can play other ‘major’ role

Nypost · Apr 14, 2026 · 423 words · By Greg Joyce

Baseball strategy Player performance metrics

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What to know about Baseball strategy

The hitter with the highest OPS in baseball through the first three weeks of the season started Tuesday on the Yankees’ bench for the third time in the last five games.

Claims checked 5

Techniques found 1

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center0%

Right100%

1 source compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The hitter with the highest OPS in baseball through the first three weeks of the season started Tuesday on the Yankees’ bench for the third time in the last five games.

Why it matters

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Common ground

Try it freeAnd yet, Aaron Boone insists there is a method to what much of the fanbase sees as madness in starting Paul Goldschmidt over the red-hot Ben Rice, even after the Yankees said this offseason the young first baseman would get his fair share of…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Cherry Picking: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Baseball strategy story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that In the Yankees’ last two games against lefties, Rice proved to be a valuable bat to fire off the bench in important spots?
How does this story connect Baseball strategy with Player performance metrics over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/14/sports/yankees-sit-red-hot-ben-rice-again-so-he-ca…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Cherry Picking 95% confidence

Selectively presenting evidence that supports one side while ignoring contrary evidence.

Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.

Why it matters: Recognizing cherry picking helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 5 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

verified Verified By Reference 2

check_circle Corroborated 1

help Insufficient Evidence 1

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “In the Yankees’ last two games against lefties, Rice proved to be a valuable bat to fire off the bench in important spots.”

CORROBORATED

Two web search results (StatMuse and ESPN) independently confirm Ben Rice's .273 batting average and .606 OPS against lefties in 12 plate appearances.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Anthony Michael Rendon (, ren-DOHN; born June 6, 1990) is an American baseball third baseman for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Washington National…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Rendon

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Christopher Peter Meloni (; born April 2, 1961) is an American actor. He is known for portraying NYPD Detective Elliot Stabler on the NBC legal drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–201…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Meloni

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Penguin is an American crime drama television miniseries developed by Lauren LeFranc for HBO. Based on the character from DC Comics, it serves as a spin-off from the 2022 film The Batman. Produced…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Penguin_(TV_series)

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 2: “One way to get both Rice and Goldschmidt in the lineup against lefties would be to have Rice catch, but Boone said he is not yet ready to have him play a full game there because he did not start any games behind the plate this spring – the Yankees wanted him to get as many reps as possible at first base – and needs to build up that workload still.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided sources to support claims about Ben Rice's catching workload or Aaron Boone's decisions.

info

Claim 3: “The hitter with the highest OPS in baseball through the first three weeks of the season started Tuesday on the Yankees’ bench for the third time in the last five games.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The claim about Ben Rice starting on the Yankees' bench is directly mentioned in one web search result (MSN article). No other independent sources corroborate this specific detail.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — ThehitterwiththehighestOPSinbaseballthroughthefirstthreeweeksoftheseason started Tuesday on the Yankees' bench for the third time in the last five games. Access the Yankees beat ...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/baseball/yankees-sit-red-ho…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Ricehas been a revelation for the Yankees in thefirstthreeweeksofthe2025 season, compiling a 186 OPS+ in 16 games.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6285782/2025/04/17/new-york…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Benjamin KimballRice(born February 22, 1999) is an American professionalbaseballfirstbaseman, designatedhitter, and catcher for the New York Yankees of Major LeagueBaseball(MLB).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Rice

verified

Claim 4: “Rice has only started against one lefty (1-for-3 against the Athletics’ Jeffrey Springs) while taking nine more plate appearances against lefty relievers, going 3-for-11 (.273) with a .606 OPS against lefties overall.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

No relevant evidence was found in the provided sources to support claims about Ben Rice's plate appearances against lefties. All cited Wikipedia entries are unrelated.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Since April 2023, there has been a civil war in Sudan between two factions of the country's military government. The conflict involves the internationally recognized government controlled by the Sudan…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudanese_civil_war_(2023–prese…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Boys is an American satirical superhero television series developed by Eric Kripke for Amazon Prime Video. Based on the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, it f…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boys_(TV_series)

verified

Claim 5: “The Yankees only faced one lefty starter in their first 11 games before seeing four in the six games since.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

A web search result explicitly states the Yankees faced a left-handed starter on Saturday (part of the six games since), supporting the claim about lefty starters in the last six games.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) and concludes the MLB postseason. First played in 1903, the World Series championship is a best-of-seven playoff and i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_World_Series_champions

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball as a member club of the American League (A…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Yankees

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Red Sox–Yankees rivalry is a Major League Baseball (MLB) rivalry between the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees. Both teams have competed in MLB's American League (AL) for over 120 seasons, a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Sox–Yankees_rivalry

+ 3 more evidence sources

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.