Slumping Yankees move rookie Ben Rice to No. 4 spot in lineup
New York Yankees cheer from the dugout as Ben Rice hits a two-run home run off Tampa Bay Rays reliever Colin Poche during the seventh inning of a baseball game Tuesday, July 9, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Steve Nesius)[ASSOCIATED PRESS/Steve Nesius]
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The struggling New York Yankees have moved rookie Ben Rice into the cleanup spot as part of a lineup shake-up for Wednesday night’s game at Tampa Bay. The Yankees entered the game with a majors-worst 5-16 record since June 15. New York, still in an AL wild-card spot, had the best record at 50-22 through June 14. Rice is just the sixth player in team history to have at least five homers in his first 19 games. The first baseman homered in Tuesday night’s 5-3 loss to the Rays after becoming the first Yankees rookie to go deep three times in a game on Saturday against Boston.
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