Rice's first career slam a balm for two plunkings as Yanks roll

WEST SACRAMENTO -- Ben Rice knows how much getting hit by a pitch can hurt. In fact, Rice knows it better than nearly anyone.

During Sunday’s 12-2 win over the Athletics at Sutter Health Park, Rice was plunked twice in the same game for the second time this season, running his 2025 total up to six hit-by-pitches -- tied for second in the Major Leagues.

“I’ve got one for the left knee, one for the right knee today,” Rice recounted afterward.

Of course, there are ways to ease the pain from baseball-shaped bruises. There’s already a perfect acronym for it: RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation).

Can hitting a grand slam be another way to dull the hurt?

“Yes,” Rice confirmed with a laugh. “100%, yeah.”

The second-year Yankee wasn’t licking his wounds after his first career slam, a no-doubt blast to right field in New York’s romp. The dinger broke the ballgame open for New York, which clinched a series victory before heading to Seattle to begin a three-game set Monday.

“To see him get some big insurance runs right there to put the game out of reach, that kind of helped everybody relax and just do their thing,” outfielder Aaron Judge said of Rice. “It was a big swing for Benny and also a big swing for the team.”

Owners of MLB’s premier offense by runs scored and OPS, the Yankees racked up 15 hits (and three hit batters) in the series finale. They torched ex-Yankee hurler Luis Severino for nine hits and eight runs in four-plus innings to avenge Saturday’s 11-7 loss, which featured a blown lead in the seventh inning and a poor performance from New York’s bullpen.

“We’ve had our share of tough losses here to start the year, and I feel like at every turn, we’ve really bounced back well the next day,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s the grind, right? You just keep turning the page.”

Make that turning the page AND turning the lineup over.

The top five spots in the Yankees’ batting order each came up six times Sunday in a game where everyone did their part. For the third time this season, every Yankees starter had at least one hit. Judge maintained his sizable advantage on the MLB batting average leaderboard with a 4-for-5 day, pushing his average up to .409, and first baseman Paul Goldschmidt doubled three times.

But the biggest swing of the day -- the Yankees’ only home run, in fact -- belonged to Rice. After taking two straight cut fastballs from A’s reliever Mitch Spence, Rice sat on another cutter and didn’t miss it. His 111.2 mph, Statcast-projected 398-foot blast sailed over the right-field bullpen and onto the berm.

“I was looking for something up that I could drive,” Rice said. “Fortunately, I got into a good hitter’s count there, 3-1, and was able to put a good swing on it.”

Rice started the day as the Yankees’ designated hitter, but his afternoon didn’t end that way. Just as he did in Friday’s series opener, he was substituted in at catcher for the bottom of the ninth to get Austin Wells off his feet.

Boone professed faith in Rice’s catching abilities, mentioning the work the 26-year-old has put in behind the scenes -- catching bullpen sessions and going through pregame drills with Tanner Swanson, the team’s catching coordinator.

Rice acknowledged seeing game action is a different beast altogether. But sore knees and all, he was more than willing to get behind the plate for the third time this season.

“It’s good to be as flexible as you can -- make sure you can be plugged in wherever they need,” Rice said.

That’s particularly important with the pending return of infielder DJ LeMahieu, who Boone said could be activated from the injured list as soon as Monday at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. LeMahieu (left calf strain) is currently rehabbing with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and has yet to play in the Majors this season.

Speaking before Sunday’s contest, Boone ruled out a measure as drastic as moving Rice to third base -- where he has never played in the Major Leagues -- to accommodate LeMahieu and other hitters in the lineup. But the skipper is still willing to be flexible.

“When we get to a situation if we’ve got to get a little more creative with things, we’ll do that,” Boone said. “I think so far, it’s kind of worked out really well.”