The New York Yankees will still be without slugger Ben Rice in Tuesday’s home game against the Texas Rangers.
Rice left Sunday’s game with a bruised left hand after fielding a pickoff throw by Max Fried. He wasn’t in the lineup on Monday as he was unable to swing with full force. Although the Yankees said it was going to be day-to-day, he’s not in the lineup again on Tuesday.
The Yankees’ lineup in their series opener against the Rangers is as follows:
- T. Grisham CF
- A. Judge RF
- C. Bellinger LF
- J. Domínguez DH
- J. Chisholm Jr. 2B
- P. Goldschmidt 1B
- A. Wells C
- R. McMahon 3B
- J. Caballero SS
Rice not being in the lineup again is a bit concerning, but the Yankees are giving him time to make sure he’s 100 percent. In the meantime, Paul Goldschmidt will start at first base as he continues to be a veteran leader and adds some insurance behind Rice.
Rice is hitting .343 with 12 home runs and 27 RBIs this season. Goldschmidt, meanwhile, is hitting .179 with 1 home run and 6 RBIs.
Yankees Don’t Expect Rice Injury to be Out Long-Term
Although Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Rice was going to be day-to-day, he still isn’t in the lineup on Tuesday.
However, on Monday, Boone didn’t think the injury to Rice was going to be long-term, and he hoped he’d be available on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“I don’t think it’s going to be a long thing, but it was enough to feel like he couldn’t get his real good swing off,” Boone said. “We’ll pay attention to that, and hopefully it will continue to improve as the day goes on. We’ll see if he’s available at some point in the game, or hopefully back in there (Tuesday) or the next day.”
Rice, meanwhile, said the hand was a little sore and said he made a mistake in fielding the ball, which led to the injury.
“It’s a little sore,” Rice said. “I thought the throw (from Fried) was going to be a little lower than it was. I went down and thought it would be in the dirt. Then it kind of stayed up in the end. I caught it poorly. It kind of hit in the palm.”
Despite not having Rice in Monday’s game, the Yankees cruised to a 12-1 win over the Baltimore Orioles.
Fans React to Rice Out of Lineup
Following the Yankees’ lineup on Tuesday being revealed, fans were frustrated that Rice still isn’t in the lineup.
Yankees fans were hopeful that Rice would be available on Tuesday, but that wasn’t the case.
“No Ben Rice is insane,” a fan wrote.
“I knew it. Rice ain’t ready yet,” a fan added.
“People panicking about no Ben Rice, he’s being given a second day of rest. Day-to-day means they check the progress, doesn’t mean he’s ready. Bruised hands hurt. Give him another day. Relax, it’s the beginning of May,” a fan wrote.
Although Rice won’t start on Tuesday, the Yankees haven’t ruled him out from pinch hitting later in the game.
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