"I watched him on TV forever" - Yankees rookie Ben Rice reflects on surreal experience of playing alongside idol Aaron Judge 

The New York Yankees are going through a rough patch after a strong start to the season but that has nothing to do with rookie Ben Rice's performances. The 25-year-old is relishing every opportunity he is getting for the Bronx Bombers and is in awe of sharing the clubhouse with Yankees captain Aaron Judge.

Ben Rice has been an impressive addition to the Yankees roster after he was fast-tracked to the MLB following Anthony Rizzo's injury in June. Rice has made a seamless transition to the major leagues, playing 13 games for the Yankees this season, which is already more than his stint in Triple-A (11).

The rookie had another impressive outing on Tuesday against the Cincinnati Reds as his two-run double in the sixth inning provided the Yankees a glimmer of hope. Despite his effort, the Bronx Bombers fell to a narrow 5-4 loss in the series opener.

Following the game, Rice reflected on playing alongside Judge:

"I watched him on TV forever. To actually be in the same clubhouse as him and be on the field with him is really cool. To see what he's doing right now, it's special."

Meanwhile, Aaron Judge continued his home run spree after a solo homer in the seventh inning, a major league-leading 32nd of the season for the Yankees captain:

"I'm going to get into the thesaurus because I've used all the other adjectives up that I can hold," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said.

Aaron Judge notes Ben Rice's seamless transition for Yankees

Ben Rice's discipline and power at the plate has been his most impressive attribute and it hasn't gone unnoticed. The former MVP praised the rookie, who has translated his minor league form to the Yankees:

"At that age, to come in here, the teams he’s played are some tough teams in tough environments," Judge said after the game against the Toronto Blue Jays last week. "It’s just impressive at-bat after impressive at-bat. We saw what he was doing in the minor leagues and it’s really translating well up here.”

While the hitters threatened a late comeback for the Yankees, the pitching staff led by Luis Gil disappointed on the night. Gil's third consecutive poor start saw the pitcher concede four earned runs in four innings. After a splendid start to the season, the Yankees rookie is 0-3 with a 14.90 ERA in his last three games.

The Yankees (54-33) fell to second in the AL East standings, now behind the Baltimore Orioles, having lost seven of their last 10 games.

The Yankees and Reds meet again on Wednesday for the second game of their three-game series.