Yankees’ 41-homer breakout is becoming impossible to ignore

Forty home runs would have been a pretty good stopping point for Ben Rice. He got there in the first inning Wednesday, then hit No. 41 in the fourth. The Yankees beat Tampa Bay 9-2, and Rice went 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI.

I think we've spent too much of this season treating Rice like a pleasant surprise. Forty-one homers and a .899 OPS through 151 games is not a short hot streak. It is middle-of-the-order production, and the Yankees need to plan their October lineup with that in mind.