All of Major League Baseball is finally reporting back to training facilities after a long offseason. For the New York Yankees, they’re running it back with mostly the same roster, minus Luke Weaver and Devin Williams.
One of the main players for the 2026 season will be Ben Rice. The young slugger is going to play a big role in the Yankees’ success in 2026, and the Yankees are banking on a breakout season.
But, at least for a little bit of time during camp, the Yankees will be without Rice. According to Greg Joyce of The New York Post, the Yankees slugger slept on his neck wrong and hasn’t been hitting recently.
Yankees’ Ben Rice sustains minor injury to neck after sleeping wrong
“Ben Rice slept on his neck wrong the other night, so he has not been hitting the last few days,” Joyce reports. “But he is hoping to start swinging again soon, possibly as early as today.”
A player sustaining an injury away from the field, or from practice is always a concerning situation. In this case, while a neck issue could be serious, it’s not a major problem for Rice and the Yankees.
Despite the nature of this injury, occurring in his sleep, being an odd one, the Yankees aren’t expected to miss Rice for long.
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He’s not expected to miss any time in Spring Training, let alone the regular season. This is a very small issue, and is only stopping him from hitting recently.
It’s not an issue for fans to be concerned about. In a vacuum, hearing about a neck injury is not good news. But this is such a minor issue that there shouldn’t be any concern.
The 26-year-old slugger is coming off a great season in 2025, hitting .255 with an .836 OPS with 26 home runs and 28 doubles on 119 hits.
He’s going to be a big part of the offense in 2026, and fortunately, with plenty of time before the season begins, this neck issue will go away and not present an issue for Rice in what’s shaping up to be a big season for the first baseman/catcher.
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