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: Heads to Triple-A
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The Yankees optioned Rice to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Saturday.
Rice quickly cooled down after a hot start to his MLB career, putting up a .174/.269/.356 slash line across 175 plate appearances for the Yankees. With Anthony Rizzo (forearm) expected to return from the 60-day injured list Sunday, the 25-year-old Rice will now give up his roster spot and head back to Triple-A, where he can continue to receive regular reps at first base.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Not starting Saturday
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Sitting versus lefty
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Rice is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Rangers.
Rice will sit for the fourth time in the past five contests, with Sunday's contest being the third of those against a left-handed pitcher (Andrew Heaney). DJ LeMahieu will man first base and bat ninth in the series finale.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Resting during nightcap
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Rice isn't in the Yankees' lineup for the second game of Saturday's doubleheader versus Texas.
After a 1-for-4 performance during Game 1, Rice will take a seat on the bench to start Saturday's final game. While he rests, DJ LeMahieu will handle first base and bat ninth.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Not starting Game 2
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Rice isn't in the Yankees' lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Angels.
Rice went 0-for-2 with two walks and a run scored during the Yankees' victory in Game 1, and he'll now sit down for the second half of Wednesday's twin bill. DJ LeMahieu will get the starting nod at first base instead and bat eighth.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Sitting against right-hander
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Rice is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Blue Jays.
Rice has slumped to a .152/.255/.348 slash line since the All-Star break and will give way Sunday to DJ LeMahieu, who will draw another start at first base after breaking out of his season-long swoon at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a home run and six RBI while filling in for Rice in Wednesday's 6-5 win over the Phillies. Though the lefty-hitting Rice is on the bench against a right-hander (Yariel Rodriguez) on Sunday, Rodriguez sports reverse splits for the season, which likely factored into the Yankees' decision to hold Rice out of the lineup.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: On bench Tuesday
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Rice is absent from the lineup for Tuesday's contest against the Mets.
It will be the right-handed hitting J.D. Davis handling first base as the Mets send southpaw Jose Quintana to the hill. Rice will yield the leadoff spot to Jahmai Jones.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Elevated to leadoff spot
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Rice will start at first base and bat leadoff in Thursday's game versus the Reds.
The Yankees have dropped the struggling Anthony Volpe down to the No. 6 spot in the batting order and Rice will receive the first opportunity in Volpe's old slot. Rice is slashing .270/.378/.351 with a 6:7 K:BB in his first 14 contests in the majors. Certainly, it would be a major boost for his fantasy prospects if he can manage to stick at the top of the Yankees' lineup.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Absent from lineup
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Rice is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Reds.
With southpaw Andrew Abbott on the hill for the Reds, the Yankees are going with right-handed-hitting J.D. Davis at first base. The left-handed-hitting Rice has now started one of four games versus lefties since Davis was acquired.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Sitting against southpaw
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Rice is not in the starting lineup for Friday's game against Toronto.
The lefty-hitting Rice will get a breather as southpaw Yusei Kikuchi takes the mound for the Blue Jays. Instead, J.D. Davis will get the start at first base and bat fourth.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Idle against lefty
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Rice is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Mets.
With J.D. Davis joining the Yankees roster, Rice is expected to enter the strong side of a platoon with Davis at first base. Rice will take a seat Tuesday for the first time since being called up June 18 as the Mets trot out southpaw David Peterson.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Logs first multi-hit game
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Rice went 2-for-3 in Sunday's loss to Atlanta.
Rice was one of two Yankees with multiple hits in the contest, and it was the first multi-hit effort of his career. The 25-year-old started at first base for the fifth time in six contests since being called up, and three of those games have been against left-handed starters, against whom he's gone just 1-for-9. Rice has otherwise held his own overall in going 5-for-17 with a 3:3 BB:K, but he'll likely begin yielding some starts against southpaws to J.D. Davis, whom the Yankees acquired Sunday.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Joining big-league roster
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The Yankees will call up Rice from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre ahead of Tuesday's game against the Orioles to replace Anthony Rizzo (arm) on the roster, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Rice has played 60 games this season between Double-A Trenton and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, slashing .275/.393/.532 with 15 home runs, nine stolen bases and a 56:40 K:BB over 268 plate appearances. The 25-year-old has split his time between catcher (28 starts) and first base (22 starts) and has also made an additional 10 starts at designated hitter. The Yankees could use Rice almost exclusively at first base, but for fantasy purposes, he may have catcher eligibility.
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Yankees' Ben Rice: Massive power at Double-A
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Rice is slashing .323/.385/.652 with 14 home runs, six steals and a 19.8 percent strikeout rate in 40 games for Double-A Somerset.
Rice, who is 24 years old and opened this season at High-A Hudson Valley, has started 19 games at catcher, 12 games at first base and eight games at designated hitter with the Patriots, so it's unclear where the Dartmouth product will fit long term for New York. Despite age/level concerns, Rice's .329 ISO combined with acceptable strikeout/contact rates makes him a worthwhile speculative play in dynasty leagues.