Lonte Smith targeted Yankees rookie Ben Rice in the home-run market, citing the friendly confines of Coors Field and a soft matchup. Coors has boosted left-handed homer production by 25% over the past three seasons, and Colorado is starting debuting right-hander Juan Mejia followed by a bullpen that owns MLB’s worst HR/9 (1.54). Smith pointed out Rice has barreled five balls in his last 18 batted-ball events and flashed 109-mph exit velocity, signs the swing is rounding into form. With New York carrying Friday’s highest implied run total and the thin air amplifying every fly ball, Smith is betting Rice ‘To Hit a Home Run’ at +450 or better.

Lindquist circled rookie Ben Rice for another long-ball ticket against Seattle right-hander Emerson Hancock. Yankee Stadium’s short right-field porch amplifies left-handed pull pop, and Rice showed exactly that thunder with Sunday’s grand slam. Hancock’s 46% fly-ball rate and sub-par 18% strikeout clip leave him exposed to any lefty who can elevate. With Aaron Judge and Juan Soto providing elite lineup protection, Rice should see pitches to hit, making a homer prop at +450 or better attractive in Lindquist’s eyes.

Dan Palyo said Ben Rice is a +300 HR prop worth firing on Saturday. Rice owns an elite .324 AVG and .368 ISO versus right-handed pitching and is pulling the ball 55% of the time, an ideal profile for Yankee Stadium’s short right-field porch. Opposing starter Zack Littell has already coughed up eight homers in 2025 and is allowing a .574 SLG to lefties. Palyo noted that while Aaron Judge also grades out well, Rice offers roughly double the payout at the window with a similar matchup advantage.

Dan Palyo backed Ben Rice to go over 0.5 HR at +300. Rice already has eight bombs, logged a 105.4-mph double off the wall last night, and is batting .324 with a .368 ISO against right-handed pitching. Palyo emphasized Rice’s 55% pull rate paired with Yankee Stadium’s short right-field porch, noting that 55%+ pulled fly balls historically translate into elite HR rates. Opposing starter Zack Littell has surrendered eight homers in 2025 and is giving up a .574 SLG to left-handed hitters while ranking near the bottom of the league in hard-hit suppression. Palyo likes the price gap versus Aaron Judge’s +150 number and expects Rice to lead off, maximizing plate appearances.

Shubham Soni recommended Ben Rice’s home-run prop at +310, citing the rookie’s .265 average, eight homers and .950 OPS since stepping in for the injured Giancarlo Stanton. Rice owns a .579 slugging mark against right-handed pitching, exactly the split that has plagued Zack Littell and the Rays bullpen. Soni added that Saturday’s warm, windy conditions in the Bronx bump up left-handed power, making Rice a high-reward long-ball wager.

Dan Servodidio advised betting Ben Rice +360 to hit a home run Friday against Tampa Bay. He pointed to Rice’s breakout eight-homer start and .958 OPS, noting the rookie has gone deep six times in his last 16 starts and belted two on Tuesday. The matchup is the driver: right-hander Ryan Pepiot has already surrendered eight homers, owns a 2.12 HR/9 and 22.2% HR/FB rate (both top-5 worst among qualified starters). Lefties have crushed Pepiot, and Rice has hammered right-handed pitching with a .323 average, .692 slugging, 1.135 OPS, six of eight homers and a .369 ISO that ranks seventh in MLB. Pepiot also gave up two long balls to Yankee lefties in his last meeting with New York, leading Servodidio to call Rice a strong plus-money HR prop.

Lindquist recommended a quarter-unit sprinkle on Ben Rice to homer at +400 or better. Tampa Bay’s Ryan Pepiot has underwhelmed, giving up a 10% barrel rate and eight long balls already, while Rice continues to put up elite hard-contact numbers since being called up. Yankee Stadium’s short porch amplifies Rice’s pull power, and Lindquist will fire on any price longer than +365, calling Pepiot’s current 4.24 ERA (4.61 xERA) and sketchy command an ideal matchup for the lefty slugger.

B Wade targeted the over on 1.5 hits + runs + RBIs for Ben Rice against right-hander Ryan Pepiot. Rice has topped this mark in 15 of 26 games (58 %) despite hitting it only once in his last five, a slump Wade expects to end. The rookie is slashing .323 versus righties compared to .138 against lefties, suggesting most of his misses have come in southpaw matchups. Pepiot brings a middling 4.20 ERA and 1.40 WHIP, giving Rice a favorable spot to collect at least two counting stats Friday.

Malcolm Bamford circled Ben Rice as his personal homer pick, admitting he regretted leaving the rookie off last week’s card when Rice promptly left the yard on the first pitch. Bamford is once again fading Orioles left-hander Cade Povich, whose 5.42 ERA, 11.3% walk rate, and five homers surrendered in three Camden Yards starts scream volatility. Rice has flashed plus pull power since being called up, posting a 92-mph average exit velocity against southpaws and leaning into Yankee Stadium’s inviting right-field porch. With Povich living up in the zone and Baltimore’s pen ranking bottom-10 in HR/9, Bamford thinks Rice can leave the yard at least once and would play anything at +550 or better on the home-run prop while also sprinkling him in single-game DFS stacks.

Scott Reichel went contrarian and picked Ben Rice as his home-run prop instead of the usual Aaron Judge chalk. Rice has quietly logged occasional leadoff reps, giving him a probable extra at-bat, and sports a .327 average with a .514 slugging percentage against right-handers this season. Reichel’s target is Orioles starter Shintaro Sagano, who has now coughed up at least one homer in four straight starts and two or more in consecutive outings while his four-seamer spin rate has dipped 120 RPMs. Sagano has been especially vulnerable to lefties: a .275 ISO against and 43% fly-ball rate. Camden Yards plays more neutrally to left-handed power, but Reichel thinks Rice’s plus bat speed and Sagano’s declining fastball make +600 (widely available) a bet worth sprinkling. He added that Baltimore’s bullpen has the second-worst HR/9 (1.45) over the last month, offering Rice a back-door shot if Sagano exits early.

BetMGM Betting highlighted Ben Rice’s home-run prop at +375 as a plus-odds dart throw worth sprinkling. Rice has cleared 0.5 homers in 4 of his last 10 home games, good for +17.7 units and a 177% ROI. He faces Kevin Gausman, who locates his four-seam up in the zone 78% of the time (highest among qualified starters) — a spot where the left-handed Rice has produced 57% of his barrels since Triple-A. With hitter-friendly weather (70° and an 8-mph out-to-right wind) and the short right-field porch, the tout likes taking a small shot on Rice to leave the yard again.

Bettor Mark pounded the table for Ben Rice OVER 1.5 Hits+Runs+RBIs at even money on BetMGM. He pointed out the rookie has cleared this number in five of his last seven games and is coming off a 4‑for‑6, 2‑RBI night against Tampa. Rice owns a .412 OBP since being promoted and draws Zach Rasmussen, whose .354 xwOBA to left‑handed bats is bottom‑15 among qualified starters. Mark expects New York’s offense, which erupted for six runs Thursday, to stay hot in cozy Yankee Stadium and placed Rice atop his prop card because he hits second and rarely gets pinched for defense, giving him a full plate of plate appearances.

FanDuel's Data Skrive pinpointed Yankees infielder Ben Rice as a valuable home run prop option given his notable start to 2025. Rice has already hit five home runs in just 15 games, giving him a homer frequency in 33.3% of games. Offered at odds of +560 against Royals pitching that has struggled, Rice presents compelling value as an actionable prop bet play.

Mike Maher recommended Ben Rice as a compelling waiver wire target due to his recent uptick in playing time and favorable batting order placement with the Yankees. Rice is batting .306 with three home runs and two stolen bases so far, showcasing a nice balance of power and speed. Maher highlighted Rice's impressive minor league track record last season, where he delivered 24 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and hit .273 across just 79 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. Even acknowledging some regression may occur from his fast MLB start, Maher emphasized Rice's solid skill set and appealing home park factors at Yankee Stadium, making him an excellent waiver addition given the offensive scarcity on current fantasy baseball waiver wires.

Joe Pisapia endorsed starting Ben Rice in UTIL spots immediately due to his current hot streak, especially when compared directly to Anthony Volpe. Pisapia emphasized the importance of riding current performance waves at this stage of the season, citing Rice's superior recent production and advising fantasy managers to capitalize on momentum-driven fantasy value rather than relying on previous expectations or season-long projections.

Chris Welsh fully endorsed Ben Rice as the waiver-wire bat to prioritize, suggesting he would even drop Jordan Walker for Rice. Welsh praised Rice's exceptional start, highlighting elite Statcast metrics with barrel rates around 27%, hard-hit rates near 72%, expected batting average over .300, and excellent plate discipline with minimal chasing. Additionally, Rice currently benefits from batting leadoff in the Yankees lineup, maximizing run-scoring opportunities. Welsh sees Rice as a special bat worth aggressively targeting due to Yankee Stadium's favorable conditions and lineup protection behind him from hitters like Aaron Judge.

Andrew Geller expressed regret at missing out on Ben Rice, who is rapidly increasing his fantasy relevance thanks to impressive early season production—three home runs and two stolen bases with a .256 batting average. Rice hitting second against Tigers' strong pitcher Tarik Skubal indicates growing confidence from the Yankees in his ability and role. Geller noted he was fortunate to acquire Rice in just one league off waivers but now wishes he'd targeted Rice more proactively. The dual-threat ability of power and speed plus batting second in the Yankees lineup creates optimal fantasy conditions, making Rice an appealing target.

Eric Lindquist liked the value on two-plus total bases props involving Ben Rice. While acknowledging Rice's unsustainable 72.2% hard-hit rate and astronomical .815 expected slugging percentage in limited at-bats, Lindquist pointed out Rice benefits from his lineup positioning as a lefty hitting near the top of the Yankees' lineup. He explained that the spacious Comerica Park environment often suits hitters targeting doubles in the gap rather than home runs, making Rice and similar left-handed hitters such as Cody Bellinger, Jazz Chisholm, and Trent Grisham intriguing bets for total bases and doubles props at plus-money prices.

Ben Rice, identified by Zach Thompson, emerged as a great DFS budget bat due to his power potential vs Merrill Kelly. Rice earned his spot with an explosive spring (five homers, .359 wOBA) and continues to impress, hitting .385 with two home runs and a .565 wOBA so far this season. Particularly strong against righties (seven of his eight MLB homers off RHP), Rice faces a favorable matchup against Kelly, presenting great DFS value.