Ben Rice News: Sitting against lefty Sunday

Rice is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs.

The left-handed-hitting Rice will head to the bench for the second straight game while the Cubs send another lefty (Shota Imanaga) to the hill. Though Rice has maintained a .795 OPS through six games in July and owns a 134 wRC+ versus opposite-handed pitching this season, the Yankees have yet to commit to using the 26-year-old as a full-time player against righties. Rice was on the bench for three of the Yankees' previous five matchups versus righty starters, with Paul Goldschmidt occupying first base in each of the contests that Rice was out of the lineup.