Yankees Manager Announces Injured DH Likely to Start Tuesday

After the game, Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Rice is likely to be back in the starting lineup Tuesday night in Cleveland.

Rice had been day-to-day since taking an 88.2 mph slider off his left elbow from Rays reliever Manuel Rodríguez on Saturday. X-rays came back negative, but Rice was pulled from that game immediately and held out of Sunday’s win.

Still, he returned to batting practice Monday and launched a home run during pregame warmups, an early sign that the elbow wasn’t going to be a long-term issue.

The Yankees need Rice to be right. He entered the week hitting .292 with five home runs and a .922 OPS over 19 games, and had settled in as a reliable presence in the middle of the order.

Rice’s left bat is a tough one to leave out of the lineup.

With slugger Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list with tendinitis in both elbows, Rice’s power surge has helped fill the void, albeit from the other side. 

Monday night, Rice’s bat would have been particularly helpful since the Yankees were also without Trent Grisham, another surprising slugger this year. Grisham was placed on the paternity list before Monday’s game.