Yankees make notable Rice announcement after slugger injures left hand

New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Yankees make notable Ben Rice announcement after slugger injures left hand against Orioles

By Clark Dalton | Last updated May 3, 2026 6:08 PM ET

The status of New York Yankees first baseman/catcher Ben Rice is now one to watch.

The team announced Sunday that Rice suffered a left hand contusion on a pickoff attempt from starting pitcher Max Fried while playing first base in New York's home game against the Baltimore Orioles. After doubling and scoring on right fielder Aaron Judge's two-run homer, the slugger went into the clubhouse to take X-rays following the bottom of the third inning. They were negative, so he is now day-to-day.

Infielder Paul Goldschmidt replaced Rice at the top of the fourth when the Yankees were leading 3-1. New York (23-11) beat Baltimore (15-19) 11-3.

How would a prolonged Ben Rice absence impact the Yankees?

There's still too little information to determine how long Rice will be out, but if he were to miss any time, that would be costly for the Yankees.

Ben Rice exited today's game with a left hand contusion that he sustained on the pickoff attempt while playing first base in the third inning. X-rays taken were negative. He's day-to-day.
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 3, 2026

Rice, 27, appears to be amid a breakout season. Entering Sunday, he led baseball in OPS (1.164), ranked ninth in batting average (.330) and was tied for fourth in home runs (11). He hit his 12th dinger on a 379-foot moonshot to right field in the bottom of the first inning against Baltimore.

Make it a dozen dingers on the year for Rice #RepBX pic.twitter.com/W11idkArDH
— New York Yankees (@Yankees) May 3, 2026

Now, Goldschmidt did a fine job of replacing Rice on Sunday. He went 1-for-3 at the plate and sent in third baseman Ryan McMahon and shortstop Jose Caballero on an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Goldschmidt, a former National League MVP, isn't a bad replacement for Rice. The ex-Arizona Diamondbacks standout is no longer elite but is serviceable. In 146 regular-season games last season, he slashed .274/.328/.403. In his first 11 games this season, he started slower, slashing .156/.289/.375.

With that in mind, the Yankees want Rice to return to the lineup as soon as possible. His hot start is one reason why the team is first in the American League East ahead of the Tampa Bay Rays (21-12).

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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