Rice was diagnosed with a left elbow contusion after getting hit by a pitch in Saturday's game against the Rays, Erik Boland of Newsday reports.
Rice was plunked twice during Saturday's contest and ran for himself on both occasions, but the Yankees decided to pull him in the sixth inning. The 26-year-old slugger also received X-rays and a CT scan on his elbow to make sure he didn't suffer any structural damage, and both tests came back negative, per Boland. He can be considered day-to-day.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Idle vs. southpaw
Rotowire
Rice is not in the Yankees' starting lineup against the Royals on Wednesday.
Rice has received three starts against left-handed pitchers this season, but he'll take a seat Wednesday with the Royals sending southpaw Kris Bubic to the mound. With Rice beginning the contest in the dugout, Aaron Judge will serve as the designated hitter while Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Jasson Dominguez man the outfield. Rice has started the season slashing .273/.385/.618 with 10 walks, two stolen bases, 12 runs scored, five home runs and seven RBI in 65 plate appearances.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Belts fourth homer
Rotowire
Rice went 2-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and a second run scored in Saturday's 8-4 win over the Giants.
The 26-year-old slugger took Lou Trivino deep in the sixth inning, ripping a line drive over the fence in the right-field corner that left his bat at 113.2 mph. Rice appears to be headed for a breakout campaign, slashing .310/.431/.690 through 13 games with four homers, five RBI and 11 runs while settling in at the top of the Yankees' batting order -- over his last seven games, Rice has batted exclusively leadoff against right-handed pitching, and second against lefties.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Homers out of leadoff spot
Rotowire
Rice went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 4-3 win against Detroit.
Rice broke a scoreless tie with a two-run shot to center field in the seventh inning. The second-year slugger batted in the leadoff spot for New York, which he's done four times in the team's past seven games. Rice has been very productive to begin the campaign, slashing .306/.419/.667 with three home runs, two doubles, a triple, four RBI, nine runs and two stolen bases through 43 plate appearances. His 25.6 percent strikeout rate isn't ideal, but Rice has balanced the punchouts with a 16.3 percent walk rate.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Idle Sunday
Rotowire
Rice is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.
The left-handed-hitting Rice had started each of the past six games, but he'll take a seat Sunday for the matinee contest while the Pirates send a lefty to the bump in Andrew Heaney. Aaron Judge will get a day off from defensive duties and serve as the Yankees' designated hitter in Rice's stead.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Swats first homer of season
Rotowire
Rice went 2-for-4 with a solo home run and an additional run in Sunday's 12-3 win against Milwaukee.
Rice got in on a homer-happy weekend by the Yankees, smashing a 383-foot solo shot to right field in the second inning. The 26-year-old has started at DH in two of New York's first three games and has gone 3-for-6 with three runs scored. As long as Rice continues to get regular playing time, he can be a useful source of power in fantasy -- he belted 31 long balls over 129 regular-season contests across the minors and majors last season.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Idle against southpaw
Rotowire
Rice isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Brewers.
With southpaw Nestor Cortes set to throw the first pitch for Milwaukee, the lefty-hitting Rice will remain on the bench to begin the game. Jasson Dominguez will serve as the DH instead while Cody Bellinger starts in left field, allowing Trent Grisham to start in center and bat ninth.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Filling DH role in opener
Rotowire
Rice will start at designated hitter and bat eighth in Thursday's opener versus the Brewers.
The Yankees will use Trent Grisham in center field, Cody Bellinger in right field and Aaron Judge at designated hitter some days until Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) returns. However, Rice should get the bulk of the DH duties versus righties, and he'll draw into the lineup Opening Day against Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Secures roster spot
Rotowire
Manager Aaron Boone announced Tuesday that Rice will be included on the Yankees' Opening Day roster, Max Goodman of NJ.com reports.
Giancarlo Stanton's elbow issues created an opening at designated hitter, and Rice took advantage of the opportunity during spring training with five homers and an .848 OPS in 69 plate appearances. The 26-year-old is likely to see most of his action at designated hitter but could also get looks at first base and catcher.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Continues to mash
Rotowire
Rice went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored in Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.
Rice has homered in back-to-back games as he continues to build his case for a spot on the club's Opening Day roster. He slotted in behind the dish Monday after serving as the designated hitter Sunday, putting his versatility on full display. Rice would likely get looks at first base, catcher and in the DH spot if he were to make the big-league club out of camp.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Making strong case for roster spot
Rotowire
Rice went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run in Sunday's Grapefruit League win over Tampa Bay.
Rice batted leadoff in the spring game and played the entire contest at DH. His big hit was a two-run blast to left-center field in the fourth inning. That marked the second homer in three days for Rice, and he has five hits during that span. The 26-year-old is competing for a spot on the Yankees' Opening Day roster as the backup first baseman behind Paul Goldschmidt, and he could also log significant time at DH with Giancarlo Stanton (elbows/calf) having no timeline for his return.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Option to see time at DH
Rotowire
During an in-game interview on YES Network on Thursday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone mentioned Rice as a candidate to log at-bats at DH with Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) slated to miss the start of the season.
Boone indicated that Aaron Judge won't necessarily be the team's primary DH while Stanton is on the shelf, opening the door for Rice, among others, to log at-bats at the position. Rice isn't guaranteed to make the Opening Day roster, but his ability to play both first base and catcher works in his favor, as New York doesn't have a clear-cut healthy backup at either position. Rice was up-and-down in his first taste of the majors last season, slashing .171/.264/.349 with seven home runs and 23 RBI over 178 regular-season plate appearances.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Getting exposure to catcher in camp
Rotowire
Manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that Rice will work out with the team's catchers in camp in addition to taking reps at first base, Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reports.
Rice has nearly 1,000 innings of catching experience under his belt in the minors, but his defense behind the plate likely isn't strong enough for him to profile as anything more than a backup option at the position in the majors. Still, if Rice can acquit himself well in his catching opportunities during the spring, it could be his ticket to a spot on the Opening Day roster, as the Yankees already have Paul Goldschmidt and Giancarlo Stanton locked in as regulars at first base and designated hitter, respectively. Meanwhile, Austin Wells appears secure as the Yankees' No. 1 catcher, but J.C. Escarra and Jesus Rodriguez -- neither of whom has made their MLB debut -- are the only other backstops on the 40-man roster. Rice hit just .171 and struck out in 27 percent of his plate appearances in his first taste of the majors last season, but he flashed power (seven home runs, six doubles) and drew walks at an 11.6 percent rate.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Recalled Sunday
Rotowire
Rice was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.
The lefty-hitting Rice draws the start at first base and will bat eighth against lefty Bailey Falter and the Pirates. Anthony Rizzo is hoping to be available in the postseason despite suffering a fractured finger Saturday, but Rice could be an injury replacement if Rizzo is unavailable.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Not starting Saturday
Rotowire
Rice isn't in the Yankees' lineup Saturday against the Cardinals.
Rice went 0-for-3 in Friday's series opener after missing four consecutive games, and he'll take a seat again Saturday even though the right-handed Kyle Gibson will start on the hill for St. Louis. Oswaldo Cabrera will fill in as New York's first baseman and bat ninth.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: On bench against lefty
Rotowire
Rice is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Nationals.
The lefty-hitting Rice will head to the bench for the second day in a row while the Yankees face lefty starting pitchers in consecutive games. DJ LeMahieu will draw the start at first base against Nationals southpaw Mitchell Parker.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Taking seat against southpaw
Rotowire
Rice is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rockies.
The lefty-hitting Rice has been included in the starting nine for the Yankees' last two matchups with left-handed pitchers, but he'll hit the bench Sunday against Rockies southpaw Austin Gomber with platoon mate DJ LeMahieu (face) ready to return to the lineup. LeMahieu had been scheduled to start at first base Friday against Rockies southpaw Kyle Freeland but was scratched as a precaution after he was hit in the face by a ball during pregame warmups.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Late addition Friday
Rotowire
Rice will play first base and bat ninth Friday against Colorado after DJ LeMahieu (face) was scratched from the lineup, Gary Phillips of the New York Daily News reports.
The lefty-hitting Rice was left off the Yankees' initial starting nine against southpaw Kyle Freeland and the Rockies. However, after LeMahieu got hit in the face by a ball during pregame warmups, Rice was inserted into the lineup.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Not facing LHP
Rotowire
Rice is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians.
Rice will dodge a same-hand matchup with lefty Matthew Boyd on Tuesday, giving way to DJ LeMahieu at first base. Rice has one hit in 19 at-bats during August but has almost the same number of walks (four) as strikeouts (five) and has scored four runs.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: On bench vs. southpaw
Rotowire
Rice is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Tigers.
Rice has just one hit through seven games in August and will head to the bench Sunday as lefty Tarik Skubal takes the mound for Detroit. DJ LeMahieu is starting at first base and batting eighth.
