Ben Rice’s Progress
The young Yankees slugger is out of the starting lineup for the second straight game after being hit in the hand by a pitch in Sunday’s matchup against the Orioles.
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The Yankees captain was asked what Rice would have to do to be used off the bench, and Boone said the next few hours will determine the first baseman’s availability.
“He hasn’t really started hitting yet,” Boone said. “If you start doing a little bit of light hitting and then you can ramp it up even more, and do the things you need to do to get a good swing, then we’ll have a conversation. We’ll see what the next few hours are like.”
Rice has been the Yankees’ most consistent hitter and their most dangerous bat along with Aaron Judge. In 33 games, Rice is hitting .342 with a 1.214 OPS to go along with his 12 home runs and 27 RBIs.
Carlos Rodón’s next departure
Rodon is set to begin his final rehab with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Tuesday night. Boone was asked if everything had gone well at the beginning, if the left-hander’s next step will be to return to the Yankees, and the manager confirmed it.
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Tuesday will be Rodon’s third rehab start since his offseason elbow surgery. His first start was with High-A Hudson Valley, where he allowed one hit and one walk in 4.1 innings. In his second start, he dominated Double-A with Somerset. Rodón struck out eight batters and allowed one run on five hits in 5.1 innings on April 30.
The latest on Giancarlo Stanton and Gerrit Cole
Boone was also asked about Stanton and Cole, and where they were both in their separate recoveries.
Regarding Stanton, Boone revealed that the slugger has started hitting in the cage but has yet to run as he recovers from a calf strain. Boone said the calf injury is lingering “a little bit,” but they are taking their time.
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“It still seems like a minor thing, but I’m not ready to push it yet,” Boone said.
As for Cole, Boone was asked if the former Cy Young winner was going to make a couple more starts before returning to the team. The Yankees captain tempered expectations, saying Cole “is still a little ways off.”
Cole is ready to take the mound for High-A Hudson Valley on Tuesday night. The right-hander has made three previous rehab starts between Hudson Valley and Somerset. In those starts, he allowed a combined seven earned runs in 14.1 innings (5.40 ERA), allowing 11 hits, one walk and striking out 10 batters.