TAMPA, Fla. — New York Yankees’ lead-off hitter Ben Rice sustained a bruise to his left elbow after being hit by an 88.2 mph slider from Manuel Rodríguez during the fourth inning of Saturday’s 10-8, extra-innings loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. Initially, Rice, a left-handed batter, stayed in the game and managed to score on a sacrifice fly, which extended New York’s lead to 6-1.
Afterward, Rice went to St. Joseph’s Hospital for an X-ray, which fortunately did not show any fractures. He described the pain as quite intense but mentioned that he never lost sensation in the elbow. “It’s definitely pretty sore,” Rice said, admitting the injury would be monitored on a day-to-day basis. Rice, who is a right-handed thrower, suspected the ball struck both muscle and joint but was relieved that the scans came back negative.
Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone noted, “It seems like he’s doing better. Good news, obviously, on the X-ray. It seemed like he was getting a little more feeling back as the last hours unfolded.” Rice expressed his concern initially but did not expect any further scans would be necessary. “I was definitely worried about it,” Rice admitted.
In the starting lineup due to an injury to Giancarlo Stanton, Rice has been performing well with a .292 batting average, including three doubles, a triple, five home runs, and nine RBIs over the course of 19 games. Earlier in the game, Rice had also been hit on his left foot by a pitch from Shane Baz, but stayed in the game to continue contributing.