Ben Rice Leaves Yankees Game with Left Hand Contusion

On Sunday, May 3, 2026, New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice was removed from the team’s home contest against the Baltimore Orioles after sustaining a left-hand contusion while fielding a low pickoff throw from Orioles starter Max Fried. The injury occurred in the top of the third inning with Leody Taveras on first base. After the Yankees’ third-inning at-bat, Paul Goldschmidt entered the game at first base.

Yankees make notable Ben Rice announcement after slugger injures left hand against OriolesYankees' Rice day-to-day with bruised hand after exiting vs…ESPNNewsday

Rice entered the season as a prolific offensive force, posting a .343 batting average with 12 home runs and 27 RBIs in 33 games, including 25 starts at first base. His production paired with Aaron Judge’s early output created a statistical rarity: the duo became the first teammates since the 1995 Cleveland Indians (Manny Ramirez and Paul Sorrento) to each record 12 or more homers within a team’s first 35 games.

Yankees’ Ben Rice suffers hand injury after joining exclusive club with Aaron Judge

Rice contributed directly to the Yankees’ 11-3 victory. He opened the game with a solo home run in the first inning, then doubled and scored on Judge’s two-run homer in the third. His 2-for-2 line accounted for two of the team’s eleven runs before his departure.

Yankees’ Ben Rice suffers hand injury after joining exclusive club with Aaron Judge

The Yankees issued a statement confirming that X-rays were negative and classifying Rice’s condition as a left hand contusion. The club designated him as day-to-day. Manager Aaron Boone said the team would reassess Rice’s status the following day. Goldschmidt assumed first-base duties at the start of the fourth inning.

Newsday

All six source excerpts consistently describe the injury mechanism, the negative X-ray result, and the day-to-day designation. No discrepancies regarding the nature of the injury, the timing of the substitution, or Rice’s statistical line were identified.

Newsday

• “I read that the throw was going to going to be low. I thought it was going to be a little lower than it actually was,” — Ben Rice, Yankees first baseman

ESPN

• “So I kind of went down quickly like it was going to be in the dirt and then it kind of just stayed up at the end. So I caught it poorly, kind of hit in the palm.” — Ben Rice

ESPN

• “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 (team release)

Yankees’ Ben Rice suffers hand injury after joining exclusive club with Aaron Judge

• “We'll see how he's doing tomorrow and make the call,” — Aaron Boone, Yankees manager

Newsday

Rice remains on the day-to-day list as the Yankees prepare to host the Texas Rangers on Tuesday. If Rice misses additional games, Paul Goldschmidt will continue at first base, a change that could affect both defensive alignment and lineup flexibility.

ESPN