New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice will take a seat for Game 2 of the series in Toronto against the division-rival Blue Jays on Canada Day at Rogers Centre. Giancarlo Stanton is serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth, while Paul Goldschmidt will man first base and bat leadoff against Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman. It will be Rice's first day off after starting in each of the last seven games. Manager Aaron Boone has had to get more creative to keep Rice's lefty bat in the lineup with Stanton back in the fold, but perhaps Rice will see more time behind the plate, especially with Austin Wells dealing with a finger injury. The 26-year-old Rice has been excellent against righties this season, and although he's hitting just .229 (55-for-240), he holds a strong .295 xBA and has contributed 14 home runs in what is becoming a breakout season for him.

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice is absent from the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Athletics. Rice will take a seat here after starting in each of the last three games. During that span, Rice went 1-for-10 at the plate, so it looks like he could use a day off. In his absence, Austin Wells will do the catching, while Giancarlo Stanton serves as the designated hitter versus left-hander JP Sears. Rice figures to be back in the mix following this contest.

New York Yankees designated hitter/first baseman Ben Rice collected a pair of extra-base hits during a 9-0 drubbing of the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday. Rice smacked a solo home run off Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin in the second inning and drove in his second run of the day on a fifth-inning triple. The 26-year-old finished the game 2-for-5 and is now batting .232/.315/.477 with 13 homers, 28 RBI, and 34 runs in 249 plate appearances. While those are solid numbers, Rice may have more in the tank - he ranks near the top of the league in hard-hit percentage, average exit velocity, xwOBA, xBA, and xSLG, among other categories. Rice is a strong candidate for positive regression if he receives regular playing time, which has been harder to come by since DH Giancarlo Stanton made his season debut this past Monday.

New York Yankees first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice is making his first start of the year at catcher on Wednesday and will bat sixth against the visiting Los Angeles Angels and right-hander Jack Kochanowicz. Rice has only appeared in seven games at the big-league level behind the plate, with this being his first career start. The Yankees will need to be more creative to keep Rice's bat in the lineup consistently with Giancarlo Stanton now back. With Rice behind the dish, Austin Wells will retreat to the bench. The 26-year-old Rice will become even more valuable in fantasy leagues if he is able to gain catcher eligibility this year. Although he's hitting just .229 (49-for-214), Rice has 12 homers and is in the 94th percentile in average exit velocity. His .294 xBA ranks 10th in MLB. He has a hit in four career at-bats against Kochanowicz.

New York Yankees first baseman/designated hitter Ben Rice and outfielder Trent Grisham will both start on the bench for Tuesday's contest against the visiting Los Angeles Angels in the Bronx. Paul Goldschmidt is back at first base and is hitting sixth, while Cody Bellinger will shift to center field and hit third against Angels right-hander Kyle Hendricks. Goldschmidt was the odd man out on Monday in Giancarlo Stanton's first game of the season, but Rice will take a seat in the second game of the series. Rice's bat belongs in the lineup more often than not, but he will inevitably lose some playing time with Stanton back in the fold. Bellinger has only faced Hendricks three times in his career and has one hit off of him. Goldy, meanwhile, is hitting .269 against Hendricks with a .751 OPS and three RBI in 52 career at-bats.

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/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.

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice (elbow) was forced to exit early during Saturday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Rice was hit by a pitch twice and was eventually pulled out from the contest due to a left elbow contusion. The Yankees have decided to schedule an MRI and CT scan for Rice to determine the severity of the injury. Fantasy managers will need to be patient and wait for the results of the testing. Rice has been off to a hot start as he's hitting over .290 with five homers, nine RBI, and 10 walks in less than 20 games played.

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice is remaining in the leadoff spot on Sunday afternoon when the Yankees conclude their series against the San Francisco Giants. Rice has typically been deployed as the leadoff hitter facing right-handed pitching over the past week and will remain in that position on Sunday afternoon, facing San Francisco right-hander Logan Webb. Even when facing southpaws, Rice has typically been deployed in the two-hole. This afternoon. Rice will serve as the designated hitter. With Giancarlo Stanton (elbow) on the injured list, Rice has seen a significant role in the Yankee offense early in the season. Over his past 11 games, Rice has been swinging a hot bat, holding a stellar .300/.417/.700 slash line with two doubles and four long balls. Even in a tough matchup against Webb, Rice remains a top play in DFS and a must-start option in all standard formats.

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice has been on a tear at the plate early in the season. He stayed hot at the plate during Saturday's game against the San Francisco Giants. Rice drew a walk and singled early in the game. In the sixth inning, Rice took right-hander Lou Trivino deeo for a solo homer to extend the lead. He finished the day 2-for-4 with a walk, homer, and two runs scored in the win. Rice is slashing an impressive .310/.431/.690 with four homers, five RBI in 13 games. He has been batting in the leadoff spot against right-handed pitching and it appears to be working well.

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice and utility player Oswaldo Cabrera are not in the starting lineup when they conclude a three-game set against the Pittsburgh Pirates. With southpaw Andrew Heaney getting the starting nod for the Pirates, Rice will retreat to the bench. Cabrera was also held out of action on Saturday. As a result, Aaron Judge will shift to the designated hitter spot, and Oswald Peraza will get another start at the hot corner. With Judge shifted to DH, Trent Grisham will be able to stay in the lineup even with Cody Bellinger (back) returning to action. Rice has enjoyed an impressive start to the campaign, posting a .320/.433/.640 slash line with two home runs. Cabrera has held a strong .316 AVG but appears to be losing time to Peraza. Both players will likely return tomorrow afternoon, facing right-hander ... [More]

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice will serve as the designated hitter on Opening Day against the Milwaukee Brewers. Rice will bat in the eight-hole and face Milwaukee ace Freddy Peralta. Rice was competing for a spot on the Opening Day roster and earned the job given his impressive performance. In the Grapefruit League, Rice launched five home runs across 20 contests with a .242/.319/.516 slash line. He tallied two doubles and held a 7:17 BB:K. The 26-year-old made his MLB debut last season but struggled to find consistency as he posted a modest .171/.246/.349 slash line with seven long balls. However, he generated a strong .340 xwOBA with an elite 15.6 percent barrel rate. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his production early in the season as he could become the primary DH against right-handed pitching with Giancarlo Stanton (elbow) on the injured list. Rice is worth a look as a high-upside play at a cheaper salary in DFS.