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    Ben Rice gets day off against Cubs

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    NYY 1st Baseman #22
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    Ben Rice is out of the Yankees lineup Saturday against the Cubs and left-hander David Peterson.

    It’s Rice’s first time out of the lineup since June 26. With Rice getting the night off and injuries being such a factor, this really looks like a spring training lineup from the Yankees: LF Max Schuemann, 1B Paul Goldschmidt, DH Amed Rosario, RF Jasson Domínguez, 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr., SS Anthony Volpe, CF Spencer Jones, C Ali Sánchez and 3B José Caballero.
Braves head to Philly for NL East matchup on NBC
The NL East's top squads meet for a critical matchup in Philadelphia, with the Atlanta Braves and Phillies set to clash on NBC and Peacock at 1 PM ET.

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  • NYY Designated Hitter #22
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    Rice ended up hitting .184/.304/.337 in August. He’s hit .216/.313/.432 over the last three months. Most everyone is still treating him as an ascendent star, but his bat speed and exit velocity numbers are all worse than last year and his strikeout rate has taken a big jump in the wrong direction. He’s definitely a good player, but he seems like a worst bet going forward now than he did a year ago.
  • NYY Designated Hitter #22
    Rice’s RBI single in the third inning tied the game 1-1. In the eighth inning, his two-run single extended the Yankees lead to 9-2. Rice is hitting .254 with an .877 OPS and 86 RBI on the season.
  • NYY Designated Hitter #22
    Rice has scuffled at the plate this month, but this marked his second homer in his past three games. It was his 34th this season, giving him a chance to finish with 40+ as a catcher-eligible player in fantasy leagues. He’ll lose that eligibility in 2027 but should be drafted as one of the earliest first basemen off the board. There is perhaps even further upside in a full season hitting alongside Aaron Judge.
  • NYY 1st Baseman #22
    Rice entered Sunday hitting .091 in 13 games this month. The most troubling aspect of this slump is a strikeout rate north of 30 percent. He only struck out once this afternoon, and the homer goes a long way toward easing concerns about his rest-of-season outlook. Rice got off to such a strong start that his second-half struggles have been waved away somewhat. It hasn’t helped that the entire Yankee lineup has scuffled for most of the summer. Cody Bellinger is at least beginning a rehab assignment this week, though the potential return of Aaron Judge is what will truly make this lineup scary again.
  • NYY 1st Baseman #22
    Rice came into this one cold at the plate, going 3-for-34 over his last ten games and zero homers since July 26. He broke the drought with a home run off Danny Young in the eighth inning to give the Yankees an insurance run. The 27-year-old slugger is up to 32 homers and 75 RBI while hitting .260/.353/.550 across 479 plate appearances.
  • NYY 1st Baseman #22
    With two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the Yankees trailing 2-1, Rice stepped up to the plate with runners on first and second. The slumping slugger made the most of a big spot when he ripped a long single off Braves closer Raisel Iglesias to bring home Austin Wells and tie the game at 2-2. Rice’s hit came up just short of hitting a walk-off homer and wound up forcing extra innings in a game they trailed in all night. It was a much-needed big hit for Rice, who is now 1-for-18 at the plate in the month of August.
  • NYY 1st Baseman #22
    The homer off Tim Mayza in the seventh was his ninth off a lefty this year. Although he’s striking out 28 percent of the time against southpaws, he’s managed a fine .261/.322/.515 line in 134 plate appearances. It will ensure that he remains a full-time starter if Giancarlo Stanton reclaims the DH spot sometime next month.
  • NYY 1st Baseman #22
    Rice’s 30th bomb of the year, hit off Carmen Mlodzinski, tied the game, but the Yankees couldn’t add anything from there. Rice struck out in three of his other four at-bats, including with the go-ahead run on in the bottom of the ninth. Still, he’s the one Yankee who can’t be blamed for this loss. He’s the fourth hitter to reach 30 homers this year, joining Yordan Alvarez, Hunter Goodman and Kyle Schwarber.
  • NYY 1st Baseman #22
    Rice is not exactly known for his speed, but he already has three triples on the season, and this one was a big one as it turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 cushion. The 27-year-old was outstanding in the first half, and the Home Run Derby participant has now driven in 68 runs in 2026. Some regression is certainly possible — baseball is hard — but everything Rice has shown over the first few months suggest this is legit.
  • NYY 1st Baseman #22
    Rice’s first homer barely scraped over the fence -- in fact it was reviewed by the umpire crew to be sure it crossed the yellow line -- but his second was a no-doubter to right-center that almost hit the Rays aquarium. The Yankees haven’t hit much of late, but Rice has been carrying them with five homers in his last seven games. He’s got a few more warm-up acts before the Home Run Derby -- the two homers he hit here made his total of 28 a career high. He still has a whole second half of the season to play.

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  • WSH Right Fielder #29
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    James Wood (oblique) went 1-for-3 with a walk in a minor league rehab game for Double-A Harrisburg on Tuesday.

    Wood reached base safely in two of his four plate appearances and logged seven innings in left field. He’s been working his way back from an oblique strain that sent him to the injured list back in early August. There’s a strong possibility that he’s back in Washington’s lineup this week, either for Wednesday’s series finale against Atlanta or Friday’s opener against the Dodgers. There should be a decision regarding his next steps at some point prior to Wednesday’s contest.
  • MIN Starting Pitcher #41
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    Joe Ryan (glute) recorded four strikeouts and allowed one run over three innings in a minor league rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.

    Ryan’s velocity was down a couple ticks as he averaged just 91 mph on his four-seam fastball during the 42-pitch outing. He gave up a solo homer, which represented the lone baserunner against him across three frames. The 30-year-old Twins ace is working his way back from a glute strain and could potentially make his next start in the big leagues with the club fighting for a playoff spot. It wouldn’t be surprising if he made one additional rehab start to continue building up his pitch count and stamina before returning to Minnesota’s rotation.
  • TEX Starting Pitcher #17
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    Nathan Eovaldi (elbow) has started a throwing progression.

    Eovaldi, who threw from flat ground on Tuesday, is aiming to make it back to help the Rangers before the regular season wraps up. The 36-year-old veteran hit the injured list with elbow inflammation back on August 10. He’s going to need a couple weeks to ramp back up, but it doesn’t sound like he’s done for the year.
  • TOR Starting Pitcher #39
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    Trey Yesavage (knee) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Friday.

    Yesavage is making lightning-quick progress after undergoing left knee meniscus surgery roughly three weeks ago. The 23-year-old is going to need at least a few more weeks to ramp up his throwing progression, but he figures to make it back to contribute in some capacity for the Blue Jays before the end of September.
  • AZ Starting Pitcher #39
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    Corbin Burnes (shoulder) will pitch in a bridge league game in Arizona on Thursday.

    There was some optimism that Burnes would jump into Arizona’s rotation this week after tossing two perfect innings for Triple-A Reno over the weekend. However, he’s going to need at least a few more rehab outings to continue building up his pitch count and stamina before the Diamondbacks consider bringing him back.
  • AZ Starting Pitcher #19
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    Ryne Nelson (elbow) faced hitters in a 21-pitch simulated game on Tuesday.

    Nelson is working his way back from an elbow strain that put him on the shelf back in mid-June. It might be unrealistic to expect him to make it back before the end of the regular season, but he could be available to pitch in relief if Arizona makes the playoffs.
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    Twins released OF Kyler Fedko.

    Fedko was cut loose after being designated for assignment earlier on Tuesday. The 26-year-old rookie outfielder went 0-for-16 during a 14-game stint with Minnesota earlier this season.
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    George Lombard Jr. (knee) is out of the lineup for Tuesday’s game against the Angels.

    As expected, Lombard is sitting out for the third consecutive game with right knee discomfort. It’ll be José Caballero continuing to handle shortstop in his absence. There’s a chance he winds up requiring a trip to the injured list, but the Yankees have some flexibility with expanded rosters to wait and see for a couple extra days.
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    Reds signed INF Orlando Arcia to a minor league contract.

    Arcia latches on with Cincinnati as additional depth at Triple-A Louisville heading into the final month of the season. The 32-year-old hit .271 (13-for-48) with one homer during a 19-game stint with Minnesota earlier this season.
  • TB Right Fielder #20
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    Rays re-signed OF Austin Slater to a minor league contract.

    Slater heads back to Tampa Bay as emergency outfield depth for the final four weeks of the season. The 33-year-old is basically a short-side platoon option, if anything, at this advanced stage of his career. He’s gotten into 28 games between the Rays, Mets and Marlins this season.