"Adds a little bit of validation" - Yankees rookie Ben Rice details impact of sharing lineup with Aaron Judge, Juan Soto & more

The New York Yankees called Ben Rice to replace Anthony Rizzo, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a broken arm. Rizzo suffered the injury during Sunday’s 9-3 loss to the Red Sox.

Rizzo hit a ground ball to the right side of the field and ran towards first base colliding with left-handed pitcher Brennan Bernardino covering first base. The collision caused Rizzo to fall, and land on his wrist.

MLB Pipeline’s No. 12 prospect Ben Rice was excited to share the lineup with big names such as Juan Soto, Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton. Discussing the opportunity on the Yes Network, Rice said:

“It’s really cool. You know, It’s humbling obviously. It’s been really, really cool to be around some of these bigger names. Guys who’ve like impacted the league for a really long time and played at a high level. Is really cool and just like you know add that little bit of validation, like I’m on the same room as these guys like this is pretty awesome.”

Ben Rice has been performing well so far in the 2024 season, with a batting line of .275/.393/.532, hitting 15 home runs, drawing 40 walks, and stealing nine bases in a total of 60 games between Double-A and Triple-A levels.

Yankees’ Ben Rice discusses his first major league debut against the Orioles

On Tuesday, Ben Rice made his major league debut in the New York Yankees' 4-2 win against the Baltimore Orioles. After reaching first base during the game, the 25-year-old acknowledged the Bleacher Creatures with a gesture mimicking eating rice during the traditional Yankee Stadium Roll Call.

“I came up with that in the locker room probably only like an hour before the game. A bunch of guys were asking me what I should do, and I was like, all right, I’ve got to do something that has to do with rice, right? I’m eating a bowl of rice for them,” Rice said (via AP News)

Ben Rice went 1 for 4 hitting a single to right field in the third inning, contributing to a two-run rally that gave his team a 3-0 lead. The New York Yankees will face the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday in the second game of their three-game series.