The top Yankees hitter of this season is strangely being overlooked in the lineup. And the 27-year-old star was visibly unhappy as he observed his team struggling against the Angels from the dugout. Now, manager Aaron Boone is getting it from all directions as his decision made little sense to anyone.

“Whatever strategy, whatever cockamamie thing that you’ve come up with here, Aaron Boone, it makes absolutely no sense because you’re taking at-bats away from Ben Rice, your best and hottest hitter right now,” WFAN host Tommy Lugauer blasted Boone. 

Ben Rice has been phenomenal for New York in 2026 with a .362 AVG, scoring 4 HRs and securing 13 RBI in just 16 games. He is currently leading MLB with a 1.245 OPS. Unfortunately, Boone thought it would be better to bench him against the Los Angeles Angels, as he chose Paul Goldschmidt for first base. And it happened for the fourth time in the season. 

LHP Reid Detmers started for the Angels on Tuesday as he pitched 7 innings, allowing just 4 hits and one run, striking out 9. Benjamin Kimball Rice is a left-handed hitter, which, according to his manager, makes him less effective against left-handed pitching. 

To give you a context, the difference in OPS between left and right-handers going against Detmers is .764 and .740, respectively. Aaron Boone, who is often accused of planning his roster based on stats, ignored it this time. He only sent Rice to the plate in the 8th inning when the Yankees were trailing 7-0. 

“Ben Rice is your best hitter right now,” Lugauer said, “You’re down a ton of runs. Use Ben Rice for four at-bats in a game instead of two. That’s to me, using your manager brain.”

He should have gotten more opportunities to leave an impact on the game. Instead, all he was able to do was hit a sacrifice fly, helping Randal Grichuk to score. The Yankees finally lost it 1-7, leveling the series with Los Angeles. 

Ben Rice was frustrated with Boone benching him for two games in a row. Rice’s frustration was palpable. Reports from the dugout caught him venting to captain Aaron Judge. A moment that fans quickly jumped on across social media.

“It’s painful to watch the Yankees at times. Painful because you sit there and wonder what stupid choices is Boone going to do before, during, and after the game,” a social media comment read. Even the fans are unable to make sense of Boone’s decision-making process. 

The Yankees manager earlier hinted at a major role for Ben Rice with a plan for aggressive usage. However, the reality is different, with the hitter getting low leverage and being used only late in the game. 

Aaron Boone’s strategy puts Ben Rice’s momentum on hold

“I’ve just been able to so aggressively use Benny off the bench,” Boone said before the game. “Even though he’s not in the starting lineup, I view him playing a major role. I’ve been able to kind of fire him at the most important part, and it might be early in the game.”

But that was not the case. Rice is mostly used in a platoon role. And the way his talent was utilized in the Tuesday game yielded no result. The team has also drifted away from its earlier success. The Yankees have managed only 1 win in their last 7 games. 

“The best way for me to get better at handling left-handed pitching is by actually facing it in games,” Ben Rice said, addressing his weakness against southpaws. 

According to ESPN, he has recorded 3 scoreless hits from 11 at-bats against LHPs compared to his 14 hits and 15 runs from 36 RHPs in 2026. But instead of offering him more reps to get better against the left-handers, Aaron Boone chose to restrict him to the dugout. 

Furthermore, the Yankees are refusing to utilize Rice’s defensive versatility. The 27-year-old has experience behind the plate, but Boone admitted he wants to protect Rice’s bat. He said he wanted to see the 27-year-old more as an offensive player. Ben, on the other hand, is ready to be of help, any way his team wants him to. 

“When they tell me to put on the gear, I’ll put on the gear,” Rice said. 

Ben Rice’s brief exchange with Judge in the dugout doesn’t necessarily mean a bigger issue in the clubhouse. But the manager’s decision has already attracted a lot of scrutiny after the huge loss.

Aaron Boone’s logic to restrict the biggest hitter to a low-impact role has baffled many on and off the field as the Yankees have slipped to the second position in the AL East.