The New York Yankees will once again not have Ben Rice in the lineup on Wednesday.
Rice left Sunday’s game with a bruised left hand after fielding a pickoff throw by Max Fried. Since then, he hasn’t been in the lineup, and the Yankees said it was just day-to-day. Yet, on Wednesday, New York revealed its lineup ahead of its game against the Texas Rangers, and Rice is still not in the lineup.
The Yankees’ lineup on May 6 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
With Rice still not in the lineup, an IL stint could very well be in the fold for the first baseman. He’s already missed three days now, and the Yankees have been quiet on how serious the injury is or how long he’ll be out.
Rice is hitting .343 with 12 home runs and 27 RBIs this season as he’s been a major bright spot for the Yankees’ offense. With Rice out of the lineup, Paul Goldschmidt has been starting every day, and he went 2-for-4 with a home run against the Rangers on Tuesday in New York’s 7-4 win.
Yankees Fans Concerned About Rice
Following New York’s reveal of its lineup on Wednesday without Rice again, some fans are starting to get concerned.
After the initial injury, the Yankees and Rice himself didn’t think it was serious, and he would be back playing soon. However, with Rice not in the lineup again, some fans wonder if an IL stint is going to happen.
“I am officially concerned about Ben Rice,” a fan wrote.
“I’m beginning to think Rice is going to be out longer than they anticipated,” a fan added.
“In a week, we’re gonna hear he broke his thumb,” a fan wrote.
“Alright Ben should be fine by now. Time for him to play again,” a fan added.
Multiple Yankees fans believe Rice’s injury is worse than what the team is letting on, which is a concern as he’s a key part of New York’s offense.
“Another day no rice. I need a update,” a fan wrote.
“Is Rice ever going to be ok again??,” a fan added.
“Rice not in the lineup. NOT a good sign,” a fan wrote.
“Concern level for Rice just went up a little,” a fan added.
Despite Rice not being in the lineup, the Yankees’ offense is continuing to hit well. New York is 8-1 in its last 10 games.
Rice Didn’t Think Injury Was Serious
After Rice left Sunday’s game, he spoke to reporters and felt like the injury wasn’t serious.
Instead, Rice felt like the ball caught him in a weird spot, and he’d be back in the lineup soon.
“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.”
Yankees manager Aaron Boone, meanwhile, said it won’t be long and felt like he’d be back in the lineup on Tuesday or Wednesday.
“We’ll see if he’s available at some point in the game, or hopefully back in there (Tuesday) or the next day,” Boone said.
However, Rice is still not back by Wednesday, which is a concern to some fans.
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