The New York Yankees will be giving slugger Ben Rice a day off during their road series against the Boston Red Sox.
New York suffered a 6-3 loss to the Red Sox in the series opener on Thursday, in a game first baseman Ben Rice struggled. Rice went 0-for-5 in the opener, and after going hitless, he will be on the bench on Friday as the Yankees revealed their lineup.
- P. Goldschmidt 1B
- A. Rosario DH
- C. Bellinger LF
- J. Domínguez RF
- J. Caballero 3B
- J. Chisholm Jr. 2B
- A. Volpe SS
- S. Jones CF
- A. Sánchez C
The Yankees will be giving Rice a day off as Paul Goldschmidt plays first base, while Amed Rosario hits second as the designated hitter.
Boston is starting left-hander Payton Tolle on Friday, so Yankees manager Aaron Boone decided to give Rice the day off. However, the slugger will be available to pinch hit, and could very well be a pinch hit option when a right-hander comes out of the bullpen.
Rice is hitting .281 with 22 home runs and 53 RBIs this season with the Yankees. He has an OPS of .956.
Ben Rice Advances in All-Star Voting
Amid Rice’s hot start to the season, he advanced to Phase 2 of the All-Star voting.
Rice finished second to Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. in Phase 1, and now they will go head-to-head in Phase 2.
“Rice has taken his game to an elite level after emerging during a breakout 2025. He ranks second in the Majors in OPS at .972 and fourth in home runs with 22, emerging as one of the top bats in the Yankees’ lineup and the club’s go-to option with Aaron Judge on the injured list. But it won’t be easy for Rice to beat out Guerrero in Phase 2 to ensure what would be his first trip to the All-Star Game,” the MLB.com article read.
Rice has much better numbers than Guerrero, but the fans have been voting for the Blue Jays star, as he is more of a household name. Yet, even if he doesn’t get voted in, it does seem likely he will be picked to be an MLB All-Star for the first time in his career.
Yankees Drop Opener to Red Sox
New York suffered a 6-3 loss to the Red Sox in the series opener at Fenway Park.
The Yankees committed a season-high four errors, which Boone wasn’t pleased about.
“We just didn’t do a good job of taking care of the ball tonight,” Boone said. “It’s just not up to the way we’ve been playing, or capable of playing. Ultimately, it was too much to overcome.”
New York is now 48-32 and is 5-5 in its last 10 games, but remains in the top spot in the AL East.
Yet, the Yankees are already turning the page to Friday night’s game against the Red Sox.
“It’s always tough when we lose,” Caballero said. “The good thing is, there’s always tomorrow.”
The first pitch of Friday’s game between the Yankees and Red Sox is set for 7:10 p.m. ET.
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