New York Yankees first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice hasn't started a game at catcher this year, but with Giancarlo Stanton's (elbows) return looming, manager Aaron Boone said Rice could start some games behind the plate. The Yankees are going to have a logjam for DH duties when Stanton returns to the big-league roster, possibly as soon as next week, so the Yankees are going to need to get creative as they look for ways to keep Rice's bat in the lineup. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger is breaking out in his second MLB season with 12 home runs, 25 RBI, 33 runs scored and two stolen bases in 57 games played this year. He's hitting .240 (46-for-192), but his xBA of .295 indicates more good times are on the way. His 94.4 mph average exit velocity ranks sixth in all of baseball, and he's tied with Matt Olson for seventh with a 55.9% hard-hit rate.
New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in his team's 7-3 win against the Los Angeles Dodgers. He also walked and struck out twice. The Massachusetts native gave his team a 3-1 lead in the top of the third inning when he blasted a Yoshinobu Yamamoto splitter 425 feet over the wall in right-center field, scoring teammate Aaron Judge. It was the twelfth time he's gone yard in 2025. Rice has cooled off quite a bit since an early-season hot streak, but he's still been productive -- recording at least one hit in five of his last six appearances. The Dartmouth alum has taken massive steps forward regarding average exit velocity (94.6 MPH) and hard-hit rate (57.9%) this season and has already recorded the hardest-hit ball of his career. Despite a .250 batting line through 51 games, he boasts an excellent .293 xBA.
New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. This appears to be a routine rest day for Rice who has cooled off in the month of May. He's slashing .230/.293/.446 with three home runs and 10 RBI this month. In his absence, Aaron Judge will slide over to the designated hitter role and bat second against right-hander Landon Knack. Jasson Dominguez, Cody Bellinger, and Trent Grisham will cover the outfield on Saturday. Hopefully, Rice gets back on track, but he's no longer a must-have player in fantasy leagues after his hot month of April ended.
New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice came up in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and two outs and smacked his ninth home run of the 2025 campaign. The Yankees' offense enjoyed playing at Sutter Health Park this past series, scoring 10 or more runs in all three games. Rice continues his breakout campaign in 2025, now slashing .260/.368/.569 with nine home runs, 25 runs scored, and 20 RBI to go along with two stolen bases. Although he has cooled off a bit from his red-hot start, Rice remains batting at the top of one of the most potent lineups in the MLB and remains a strong start in all formats. Next for Rice and the Yankees is a three-game series in Seattle to take on the Mariners starting Monday.
New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice went 3-for-5 with two homers and two additional runs scored in Tuesday's 15-3 thrashing of the Baltimore Orioles. Rice homered in the first two innings and came around to score two more times later in the game. The 26-year-old has been mired in a bit of a slump lately, going 2-for-15 with no homers in the four games prior to this one, so it was nice to see him break out of it. Rice has had a breakout season, hitting .278 with 22 runs, eight homers, 13 RBI, and two steals in 90 at-bats. He should continue to be a solid contributor while hitting near the top of a stacked Yankees lineup.
New York Yankees first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice is not in the team's starting lineup for Monday's series opener at Camden Yards against the division-rival Baltimore Orioles. The left-handed-hitting Trent Grisham will draw into the starting lineup in the leadoff spot and start in center field, while Jasson Dominguez is at DH and is batting eighth against Orioles right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano. Since returning from a left-elbow contusion that caused him to miss a few games last week, Rice has gone 3-for-19 with a home run and a double for the Yankees. On the year, Rice is batting .259 (22-for-85) with six home runs, 11 RBI, two steals and 18 runs scored. He should return to action for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday. Grisham is hitting out of his mind in the early going and has seven long balls already, with three coming in his last four games. He'll surely be an intriguing DFS lineup option on Monday.
As expected, New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (elbow) is back in the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Cleveland Guardians and right-hander Tanner Bibee at Progressive Field, serving as the designated hitter and batting leadoff. Rice suffered a left-elbow contusion after being hit by multiple pitches on Saturday and didn't play on Sunday or for Monday's series opener against Cleveland. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger is back in there on Tuesday, though, and fantasy managers will want to get him back in their starting lineups against a right-handed pitcher. Early on in 2025, Rice has looked like he's primed for a breakout season, hitting .288 (19-for-66) with five home runs, nine RBI, 14 runs scored and two stolen bases as the team's primary DH with Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) out for the foreseeable future. Rice has never faced Bibee in his career.
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he expects first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice (elbow) to be back in the starting lineup for Tuesday's game against the Cleveland Guardians. Rice was hit multiple times on his left elbow on Saturday and sat out the last two games as a result. The 26-year-old was just dealing with an elbow contusion, though, and he's expected back for the second game of the series in Cleveland. Fantasy managers will want to check back later to confirm he's actually back in the starting lineup, but if he is, get him back into your lineups against Guardians right-hander Tanner Bibee. Rice is off to a great start in his first full MLB season, slashing .292/.403/.600 with a 1.003 OPS, five home runs, nine RBI and two stolen bases in his first 19 games. He didn't get a hit in either of his last two games, but he did have a four-hit outing on Thursday against the Tampa Bay Rays.
New York Yankees first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice (elbow) is out of Monday's series opener against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field for the second straight day due to a left-elbow contusion that he suffered after being hit by multiple pitches on Saturday against the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays. For now, fantasy managers should continue to consider him day-to-day, and the 26-year-old could return to action for Game 2 of the series on Tuesday. With Rice out again, outfielder Aaron Judge is serving as the DH and is hitting second, with Pablo Reyes starting in right field and batting eighth against Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams. Rice is on pace for a breakout season in 2025, as he's currently hitting .292 (19-for-65) with five homers, nine RBI and two steals in his first 19 games. Judge is a must-start in fantasy lineups, while Reyes should be ignored for DFS purposes on Monday.
New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (elbow) is not in Sunday's lineup when the Yankees conclude a series against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rice was removed from Saturday's contest after being hit by a pitch in his elbow. After the contest, Rice underwent imaging, but the results were negative. Fantasy managers should continue to view Rice as day-to-day as he may be cleared to return on Monday when they start a series against the Cleveland Guardians. Rice has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, holding a .292/.403/.600 slash line with three doubles, one triple, and five long balls. He has tallied nine RBI and held an 18:10 K:BB. The 26-year-old has generated an impressive .477 xwOBA, .337 xBA, and a .696 xSLG, which are well above the average marks. On Sunday, Aaron Judge will shift to the DH spot. If Rice were to remain out on Monday, Judge will likely continue to operate as the team's designated hitter.
