Jazz Chisholm Jr. — Ben Rice is back in the leadoff spot for the New York Yankees’ June 18 series finale against the Chicago White Sox at Yankee Stadium.
Ben Rice Returned to Leadoff
The Yankees announced a starting lineup that listed Ben Rice at first base and batting leadoff for Thursday night’s game; Rice had batted No. 2 in Wednesday’s win. Rice has alternated between the leadoff spot and the No. 2 spot over the previous four games, and Thursday marked the ninth time he has batted leadoff this season.
"Yankees 6/18 B. Rice 1B P. Goldschmidt DH C. Bellinger LF J. Domínguez RF J. Chisholm Jr. 2B S. Jones CF J. Caballero SS R. McMahon 3B J. Escarra C R. Weathers SP"
Ryan Weathers Listed as Starter
Rice’s move matters in part because of the matchbenching pattern: he was batting.214 in 34 plate appearances when hitting leadoff but was hitting.303 as the Yankees’ No. 2 hitter. Overall, Rice entered the night at.291 with 72 hits, 15 doubles, two triples, 20 home runs, 53 runs, 49 RBIs and two stolen bases in 67 games.
Left-hander Ryan Weathers was scheduled to make his 14th start of the season for the Yankees, listed with a 2-5 record and a 4.36 ERA across 74.1 innings. The listing creates friction with recent form: Weathers had allowed five or more runs in three consecutive outings prior to Thursday night.
Yankees Lead Tampa Bay Rays
The Yankees finished a three-game series at Yankee Stadium and entered the finale after a 10-5 victory in Wednesday’s game that gave them a 2-0 edge in the set. New York improved to 45-27 after taking the first two games and had gone 8-2 over its previous 10 games, giving the club a 3.5 game lead in the American League East.
"White Sox 6/18 C. Meidroth 2B R. Grichuk DH M. Vargas 1B C. Montgomery 3B E. Quero C B. Montgomery RF L. Acuña SS J. Perez LF T. Peters CF S. Burke SP"
Ben Rice’s switch to the top of the order closes a short-term experiment that split his reps between the leadoff and No. 2 slots; the club’s use of Rice at the top was linked to time missed by Trent Grisham, which shifted how the Yankees distributed top-of-the-order plate appearances over the last stretch.
Why was Ryan Weathers listed as the Yankees' starter — a reporting error or a roster context the article does not explain?
