Alex Verdugo Hitting Leadoff, Ben Rice Moved To Cleanup
5 months agoThe New York Yankees are shuffling their batting order a bit for Wednesday's contest against the hosting Tampa Bay Rays and right-hander Zach Eflin. Outfielder Alex Verdugo will take over the leadoff spot, while rookie first baseman/catcher Ben Rice drops from leadoff to the cleanup spot behind slugger Aaron Judge. Rice has held his own in his first 19 major-league games for the Bombers, slashing .267/.348/.567 with a .914 OPS, five home runs, three doubles, 14 RBI and nine runs scored in 69 plate appearances. As long as he continues to hit like that, he'll play regularly at first with Anthony Rizzo out with a fractured forearm. Verdugo has hit 10 long balls in 335 at-bats while driving in 45 and scoring 42 runs. The 28-year-old will have more fantasy appeal atop the order, but it's unclear if this is more of a temporary or permanent move.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com