New York Yankees first baseman Ben Rice was optioned to Triple-A Scranton on Saturday, according to the ballclub. The expectation is that this move is in correlation to Anthony Rizzo's expected activation off the injured list on Sunday. Rice got off to a hot start with the Yankees but majorly cooled off in August, hitting for just a .228 OPS in 41 PA during the month. Most of Rice's playing time at first base was taken over by veteran DJ LeMahieu, though LeMahieu's production has been less than ideal (.525 OPS in August). Fantasy managers should feel free to cut Rice loose between the combination of subpar production and Rizzo's eventual return. Those who have Rizzo on their roster should get ready to get him in their starting lineups as soon as tomorrow in his potential return to Wrigley Field against Cubs' scheduled starter Jameson Taillon.

New York Yankees first baseman/catcher Ben Rice is not in Sunday's lineup as the Yankees close out a three-game set against the Colorado Rockies. Rice will take a seat as southpaw Austin Gomber is set to take the mound for the Rockies. However, Rice has surprisingly started against left-handed pitchers twice this week, so this may be a rest day for the rookie. Since the start of the month, the 25-year-old has been in a 2-for-32 slump with no extra-base hits. As a result, Jose Trevino will get the nod behind the dish, and DJ LeMahieu will start at first base. Both Trevino and LeMahieu are worth a look in DFS as Gomber enters Sunday with a hefty 4.64 ERA.

New York Yankees rookie catcher/first baseman Ben Rice and infielder Oswaldo Cabrera will both start on the bench on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium against the Cleveland Guardians. DJ LeMahieu is starting at first base and batting eighth, while Oswald Peraza is starting at the hot corner and is hitting ninth against Guardians left-hander Matthew Boyd. Rice has stepped up in his first big-league season with seven home runs in 133 at-bats in the absence of Anthony Rizzo (forearm), but the 25-year-old lefty swinger is also hitting only .188 (25-for-133) with 40 strikeouts in 157 plate appearances. He's gone 4-for-28 (.143) with one of his seven home runs against lefties, so it shouldn't be a surprise that he's on the bench on Tuesday. LeMahieu has fallen on hard times in 2024 after starting late due to injury, slashing just .194/.270/.256 with two homers and 24 RBI in 61 games. He's 7-for-56 (.125) with one homer against lefties.

New York Yankees catcher/first baseman Ben Rice is taking a seat on Sunday as the Yankees will face Toronto right-hander Yairel Rodriguez. The 25-year-old rookie typically would take a seat against the southpaw, but today, he will sit in a favorable platoon split. After posting a .494 SLG with six home runs in his first 24 games, Rice has gone deep just once with a .292 SLG in the past 13 games. As a result, DJ LeMahieu will get the start at first base and bat in the nine-hole. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor the Yankee lineup, as Rice could be slowly dropping down to a bench bat, given his struggles. LeMahieu could be a sneaky play in DFS this afternoon as he recently posted a six RBI game on Wednesday.