<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-ben-rice-giancarlo-stanton-return-lineup-plan');   ga('set', 'title', 'Yankees’ Ben Rice plan amid Giancarlo Stanton’s upcoming return');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Ben-Rice.jpg"><figcaption>William Purnell-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Yankees’ Ben Rice plan amid Giancarlo Stanton’s upcoming return</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-12T17:16:31-07:00">June 12th, 5:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-12T18:31:46-07:00">June 12th, 6:31pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-marcus-stroman-injury-bullpen-update">New York Yankees are making a key adjustment</a> to maintain their offensive firepower with Giancarlo Stanton nearing a return from the injured list. As manager Aaron Boone prepares for lineup changes, Ben Rice is expected to shift roles to accommodate the slugger’s re-entry as the team’s designated hitter.</p><p>Rice, who has primarily served as a DH and first baseman this season, could begin seeing starts at catcher as early as next week. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, MLB Network’s Jon Morosi <a href="https://x.com/MLBNetwork/status/1933296001772609595" rel="noopener">revealed the developing</a> plan.</p><p>“With Giancarlo Stanton’s return imminent, the Yankees plan to move Ben Rice behind the dish occasionally.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">With Giancarlo Stanton's return imminent, the Yankees plan to move Ben Rice behind the dish “occasionally.”<a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jonmorosi</a> joins <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLBTonight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLBTonight</a> with more on the decision. <a href="https://t.co/NZRLYLjSFO">pic.twitter.com/NZRLYLjSFO</a></p><p>— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1933296001772609595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 12, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Boone confirmed that the club wants to keep Rice’s bat in the lineup, even with Stanton’s power presence returning. That means utilizing Rice’s background as a catcher—something he hasn’t done extensively at the big-league level yet, but did consistently in the minors.</p><p>“He’s been the DH a lot this season,” Morosi added. “He’s been able to play first base. He does have some catcher in his background… slugging close to .500. You’ll do whatever you can if you’re the Yankees to find a way for Ben Rice to be in your starting lineup.”</p><p>Statistically, Rice has held his own in the stacked Yankees order, posting a .239 average with 12 home runs and an .810 OPS. With Austin Wells struggling at the plate recently, the move also makes sense from a performance standpoint.</p><p>With the AL East standings tightening, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/the-next-star-prospect-yankees-must-call-up-in-2025-mlb-season">Yankees are looking to capitalize on every advantage</a>. Stanton’s return won’t push Rice out—it’ll just shift him around. The Yankees’ depth and flexibility have been a strength all season, and Boone is determined to preserve it.</p><p>If the young slugger proves he can handle catching duties defensively, his value multiplies, especially in a postseason push. For now, his adaptability remains a key asset as the Bronx Bombers continue to lead the division.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Yankees’ Ben Rice plan amid Giancarlo Stanton’s upcoming return

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-ben-rice-aaron-judge-crazy-work');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Rice gets 100% real about Aaron Judge’s ‘crazy’ work');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ben-Rice-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Ben Rice gets 100% real about Aaron Judge’s ‘crazy’ work</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-11T22:11:03-07:00">May 11th, 10:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-11T22:11:03-07:00">May 11th, 10:11pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Athletics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It might’ve cost him a pair of bruised knees, but <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/yankees-news-ben-rice-fenway-park-prank">Ben Rice made sure his Sunday was worth it.</a> The Yankees’ rookie catcher/designated hitter was plunked twice — once on each leg — during New York’s 12-2 dismantling of the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. But <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/ben-rice-hits-first-grand-slam-as-yankees-beat-athletics" rel="noopener">pain turned to power</a> in the fifth inning, when Rice crushed a grand slam over the right-field bullpen for his first career slam.</p><p>“Yes,” Rice laughed when asked if the homer eased the sting. “100%, yeah.”</p><p>Rice’s blast was part of a 15-hit barrage that helped <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/athletics-news-yankees-luis-severino-1st-start-former-team">New York take two of three from Oakland</a> and push its record to 23-17. After dropping Saturday’s game in frustrating fashion, the Yankees bounced back with their best offensive display in weeks — and their MLB-best OPS and runs scored totals looked the part.</p><p>Aaron Judge continued his unreal stretch at the plate, going 4-for-5 and raising his batting average to a scorching .409. “(Another) day at the office for him,” Rice joked postgame. “It’s crazy. You sometimes catch yourself take it for granted what he’s doing, but it’s been so impressive to watch.”</p><h2><b>The Yankees keep pushing forward</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Ben-Rice.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Yankees jumped on ex-teammate Luis Severino early, tagging him for eight earned runs across four-plus innings. The second inning was the backbreaker, as the Bombers piled up five runs behind RBI knocks from Anthony Volpe and Judge, plus a bases-loaded walk from Oswaldo Cabrera. Judge’s two-run single capped the rally.</p><p>“Having a day like that really helps everyone just relax and do their thing,” Judge said.</p><p>Rice was hit by a pitch in the second but returned in the fifth with a vengeance. Facing Mitch Spence in a 3-1 count, he sat on a cutter and demolished it 398 feet to give New York an 11-1 lead. Statcast tracked the exit velocity at 111.2 mph.</p><p>“I was looking for something up that I could drive,” Rice said. “Fortunately, I got into a good hitter’s count there, 3-1, and was able to put a good swing on it.”</p><p>Though he started the day as DH, Rice later shifted behind the plate for the ninth — his third appearance at catcher this year — to spell Austin Wells.</p><p>“It’s good to be as flexible as you can — make sure you can be plugged in wherever they need,” Rice said.</p><p>Judge added a hustle double and finished with two RBI. Paul Goldschmidt doubled three times and drove in two more, continuing a hot road stretch. He’s now hit safely in all 19 road games this year, joining Derek Jeter and Jack Lelivelt as the only Yankees to do that.</p><p>Ryan Yarbrough earned the win with five efficient innings of two-run ball, while Yerry De Los Santos and Tyler Matzek combined for four scoreless frames in relief. The Yankees now head to Seattle for a three-game set, beginning Monday night. Clarke Schmidt (0-1, 4.79 ERA) will take the mound looking to extend the team’s momentum.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ben Rice gets 100% real about Aaron Judge’s ‘crazy’ work

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-ben-rice-fenway-park-prank');   ga('set', 'title', 'Yankees news: Ben Rice’s Fenway Park prank will endear him to fans even more');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Ben-Rices-Fenway-Park-prank-will-endear-him-to-fans-even-more.jpg"><figcaption>David Richard-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Yankees news: Ben Rice’s Fenway Park prank will endear him to fans even more</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-24T12:44:25-07:00">April 24th, 12:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-24T12:44:25-07:00">April 24th, 12:44pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Ever since he was a child growing up in Massachusetts, Ben Rice was a big New York Yankees fan. Now, he is an integral part of Aaron Boone’s lineup, holding down the designated hitter spot in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-giancarlo-stanton-injury-return-ben-rice">Giancarlo Stanton’s absence</a>. His hot start to the season has him reflecting on the path that led him here, including a sign of rebellion in the heart of Boston Red Sox territory.</p><p>When he was growing up, Rice went on a tour of Fenway Park, the home of the Red Sox. However, Rice was a Yankees fan through and through. He took things one step further when he wrote a note on the Pesky Pole in right field.</p><p>“We did a little tour of Fenway Park, and when we went over to the Pesky Pole, I wrote ‘Yankees Rule’ on the Pesky Pole,” Rice <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/ben-rice-path-to-key-piece-of-yankees-lineup" rel="noopener">said about his experience</a>, via MLB.com writer Anthony Castrovince. “So probably one of the very few, if any, pro-Yankees writing on there.”</p><p>Now, the 6-foot-2 lefty is proving his younger self correct, crushing home runs for Boone’s Yankees. When asked about his impact on the team, Boone offered a simple answer.</p><p>“He rakes, dude,” Boone said. “He absolutely rakes.”</p><p>After playing in 50 games in 2024, Rice is picking up where he left off, leading things off for the Yankees lineup. He trails Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm Jr. for the team-lead in homers, appreciating the power boost that most of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-rob-manfred-breaks-silence-torpedo-bat-hubbub">Yankees have had thanks to torpedo bats</a>.</p><p>His on-base percentage of .402 plays extremely well in front of Judge. Boone will be spoiled for choices when <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-giancarlo-stanton-taking-swings-injury-return">Stanton finally returns</a> from his elbow injuries. It is hard to believe that Ben Rice will be the odd man out, though.</p><p>The New York Yankees won’t get their first crack at the Boston Red Sox until June. When they do visit Fenway, Rice will have extra inspiration to have a full circle moment with the Pesky Pole.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Yankees news: Ben Rice’s Fenway Park prank will endear him to fans even more

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-ben-rice-exits-early-vs-rays-worrying-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Yankees’ Ben Rice exits early vs Rays with worrying injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Yankees-DH-Ben-Rice-trots-around-the-bases.jpg"><figcaption>Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Yankees’ Ben Rice exits early vs Rays with worrying injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-19T17:04:04-07:00">April 19th, 5:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-19T17:04:21-07:00">April 19th, 5:04pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Yankees (13-8) were dealt devastating injury news before the 2025 MLB campaign even began, as Gerrit Cole required season-ending Tommy John surgery, Rookie of the Year Luis Gil suffered a lat strain and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/new-york-yankees-news-injury-update-giancarlo-stanton-dj-lemahieu">Giancarlo Stanton incurred tendinitis</a> in both elbows. They have pushed through the adversity, however, and were on the verge of a six-game winning streak before a shocking 10-8 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays (9-12). The emergence of designated hitter Ben Rice is a pivotal reason why the ballclub currently sits in first place.</p><p>You know where this is going. Rice sustained a <a href="https://x.com/BryanHoch/status/1913719232292065540" rel="noopener">left elbow contusion</a> and exited Saturday’s game, per MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. He underwent X-rays and a CT scan, which <a href="https://x.com/BryanHoch/status/1913728641751523450" rel="noopener">came back negative</a>.</p><h2><b>Ben Rice has come up huge for Yankees thus far</b></h2><p>The former 12th-round draft pick earned himself a spot at the top of the lineup after a strong start to the year. Following a 50-game 2023 sample size that saw him hit well below the Mendoza Line, Rice is exhibiting good balance through 65 at-bats this season. He has a .292 batting average, .403 on-base percentage and .600 slugging percentage to go with five home runs and nine RBIs.</p><p>Although it may sound strange to those who have not watched the 26-year-old play in 2025, his potential absence could shrink the lineup by a decent amount. While Jazz Chisholm Jr., Anthony Volpe and a couple others try to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-aaron-boone-addresses-anthony-volpe-performance">work through their struggles</a> at the plate, it is important to receive unexpected production from guys like Rice and Trent Grisham. There is probably a shelf life for those hot stretches, but New York wants to ride them for as long as possible.</p><p>Adding onto the concerning Ben Rice news was an implosion versus the Rays. The Yankees handed an 8-4 lead to Devin Williams, but the All-Star closer collapsed in the ninth. He surrendered four hits and walked one batter in a dreadful inning of work. Rays first baseman Jonathan Aranda hit a walk-off two-run homer off Yoendrys Gomez in the 10th to complete the improbable comeback.</p><p>It feels silly to partially attribute the loss to Rice’s injury exit, considering New York put eight runs on the scoreboard, but that is how valuable he has been in the early portion of the season. The Yankees will try to keep their bats steady and bounce back in Sunday’s series finale. Hopefully by then, the team has an encouraging update to share regarding the DH’s timetable for return.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Yankees’ Ben Rice exits early vs Rays with worrying injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-ben-rice-explains-hot-start-2025');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ben Rice explains key to hot start for Yankees in 2025');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/New-York-Yankees-slugger-Ben-Rice-watches-the-ball-fly-through-the-air.jpg"><figcaption>© Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Ben Rice explains key to hot start for Yankees in 2025</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-15T06:34:42-07:00">April 15th, 6:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-15T11:46:11-07:00">April 15th, 11:46am</time><address><a>Benjamin Adducchio</a>Benjamin Adducchio is a journalist and writer with more than a decade of experience in covering sports news. Ben is a passionate sports fan who loves college football, basketball, and the New York Yankees.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>New York Yankees player Ben Rice is giving his thoughts about his performance so far this season. Rice was a star for the club on Monday night, as <a href="https://x.com/MLBNetwork/status/1911965677608456214" rel="noopener">he homered in a team victory</a> over Kansas City. New York defeated the Royals, 4-1.</p><p>“The approach has been a little stronger, a little more conviction in what I’m doing,” Rice said in an interview with MLB Network, regarding his hitting stance.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"The approach has been a little stronger, a little more conviction in what I'm doing."<a href="https://twitter.com/Yankees?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Yankees</a> slugger Ben Rice chats with <a href="https://twitter.com/jonmorosi?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@jonmorosi</a> after hitting another HR in tonight's <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLBNShowcase?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLBNShowcase</a> victory. <a href="https://t.co/l2RZZniUec">pic.twitter.com/l2RZZniUec</a></p><p>— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1911965677608456214?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 15, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>That hitting approach is working. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/yankees-news-aaron-boone-applauds-real-hitter-ben-rice-breakout-start-season">Rice has five home runs on the season for the Yankees</a>. New York is 9-7 after defeating the Royals Monday.</p><p>The Yankees slugger is hitting at a .300 batting average so far this year. Rice also has seven RBIs for the Bronx Bombers, who are fighting for the top spot in the American League East.</p><h2><b>The Yankees have had strong offense this season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Yankees-second-baseman-Jazz-Chisholm-Jr-13-reacts-to-hitting-a-home-run.jpg"><figcaption>Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Bronx Bombers are having an up-and-down start to the campaign. New York has struggled on defense, with some disappointing performances from their rotation. New York entered Monday’s game having lost five of their last seven.</p><p>The offense, though, is a different story. Aaron Judge is hitting at a powerful pace once again, and the Yankees are finding heroes in all sorts of spots in the batting lineup. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/yankees-news-jazz-chisholm-jr-aaron-judge-elite-club-6th-hr-2025">Jazz Chisholm Jr. is also off to a strong start</a>, like Rice. Those two players have 11 home runs combined, through the team’s first month of the season.</p><p>The Yankees are looking to return to the World Series. New York reached the championship last season, before bowing to the Los Angeles Dodgers. The club will have a difficult challenge getting back there, as pitcher Gerrit Cole is out hurt. Juan Soto is also gone, as well as several other key players on last year’s team.</p><p>The good news for Yankees fans is that they are getting quality production from other guys. While New York is also going to rely on free agent acquisitions Cody Bellinger and Paul Goldschmidt, New York needs others to support Judge in the lineup.</p><p>The Yankees play the Royals again on Monday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2025 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.235	14	29	0.806	3

2025 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.235	14	29	0.806	3

Ben Rice

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Yankees’ Ben Rice exits early vs Rays with worrying injury

Ben Rice explains key to hot start for Yankees in 2025

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