BREAKING NEWS: Yankees Reveal Rice’s Role for Series Finale

New York walked off with a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday, putting themselves one win away from taking the series  and they did it with some roster drama bubbling just beneath the surface.

Before Thursday’s series finale at Yankee Stadium, the Yankees made a notable lineup decision involving first baseman Ben Rice, who had gone hitless in four at-bats the day before, sliding his OPS from first to fourth in all of baseball at 1.156. Despite the Angels sending a left-handed starter to the hill, manager Aaron Boone penciled Rice — a lefty hitter himself right back into the starting lineup.

The move raised eyebrows given that Boone had sat Rice for back-to-back games earlier in the series, both of which also featured left-handed starters for Los Angeles. The timing only added more intrigue after TV cameras caught a visibly frustrated Rice appearing to vent to team captain Aaron Judge in the dugout two nights prior. Rice had been relegated to pinch-hit duty that evening, managing just a sacrifice fly in a lopsided 7-1 loss.

Whether Rice’s visible frustration nudged Boone toward penciling him back in remains an open question but the skipper’s decision signals that the young slugger isn’t being buried on the bench anytime soon, left-handed pitching or not.