Ben Rice Exits Yankees Game Early With Apparent Injury After Blasting HR No. 12

Ben Rice was pulled from Sunday's Yankees-Orioles game at Yankee Stadium in the top of the fourth inning with an apparent injury, replaced at first base by Paul Goldschmidt. Per MLB.com, there was no obvious inciting moment — no collision, no awkward play in the field — making the nature and severity of the injury unclear heading into the week. What makes the timing particularly sharp is what Rice did before leaving: he crushed his 12th home run of the season in the first inning, a total that sat tied for third in the Majors entering Sunday, then doubled and scored on Aaron Judge's 13th homer in the third.

Rice has been the Yankees' breakout story of 2025, an under-the-radar first baseman/catcher who turned into one of the more dangerous bats in the middle of New York's lineup. Twelve home runs at this stage of the season isn't a hot streak — it's a legitimate power profile. His presence in the order has given Judge more protection and given the Yankees a lineup construction that's been quietly one of the more dangerous in the AL. Losing him, even short-term, disrupts all of that.

Goldschmidt stepping in is a competent stopgap, but the veteran first baseman is nowhere near the offensive threat Rice has been this year. The Yankees don't have a natural like-for-like replacement who replicates Rice's recent production, which shifts lineup depth questions back toward the middle of the order and puts more pressure on Judge and the top of the card to carry the offensive load.

From a betting standpoint, Rice's injury status is worth monitoring closely before any Yankees team total or Rice-specific prop is touched this week. His HR and total bases props had genuine upside given his pace — 12 home runs projects to well over 40 on the season — and any absence kills that value cold. On the team total side, New York's over/under typically sits in the 4.5–5 range; if Rice misses time and Goldschmidt slots in as an everyday starter, that number deserves a harder look on the under side until the lineup shakes out. Judge's own HR prop may see a slight bump in implied value as the lineup around him thins, but the smarter play is fading Rice's props entirely until injury clarity arrives.

As a side note, Judge's 13th home run pulled him into a tie for the MLB lead with White Sox rookie Munetaka Murakami — a subplot that will drive its own prop market attention this week. But the more urgent number to watch is Rice's status for Monday, because if he's headed to the IL, New York's team total picture shifts meaningfully.