The New York Yankees put Ben Rice back in the leadoff spot Thursday night for the final game of their three-game series against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium. After batting second in the previous game, Rice moved to the top of the order again as the Yankees shuffled the front of the lineup for the series finale.
The change matters because it came after Rice had been rotating between first and second in the order over the last four games, a stretch that has made him one of the main variables in the Yankees’ daily lineup. Thursday’s game was the ninth time he had led off this season, and the team has kept using him there even though his production has been better when he hits second.
Rice entered Thursday batting.214 in 34 plate appearances as the leadoff hitter, compared with.303 when he has hit second. Across the season, he was hitting.291 with 72 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs, 53 runs, 49 RBIs and two stolen bases in 67 games. That split explains why the Yankees keep moving him around the top two spots instead of locking him in at one place.
The reason for that juggling has been plain enough: Trent Grisham has missed time with an injury, and the Yankees have used Rice to help cover the spot at the top of the lineup. With the club already off to a 45-27 start and riding an 8-2 stretch over its last 10 games, the move was less about experimentation than keeping the order stable while getting the best version of Rice into the middle of an in-form lineup.
The rest of the night pointed to another chance to keep that momentum going. Ryan Weathers was set to make his 14th start of the season for the Yankees, entering at 2-5 with a 4.36 ERA across 74.1 innings after allowing five or more runs in three straight outings. The White Sox also turned in their lineup for the finale, and despite dropping the first two games, they remained tied with the Cleveland Guardians for the lead in the American League Central. For the Yankees, the immediate question is whether Rice stays at the top once the series ends or whether the next lineup card brings another switch.
