Ben Rice will participate in Home Run Derby, looking to become Yankees’ first winner since 2017

By: The Associated Press Posted: 2:51 PM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 7, 2026 Last Modified: 9:13 PM CDT Tuesday, Jul. 7, 2026

New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice will be swinging for the fences in Philadelphia on July 13.

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New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice will be swinging for the fences in Philadelphia on July 13.

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New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice will be swinging for the fences in Philadelphia on July 13.

Rice, who leads the Yankees with 26 homers this season after going deep in a 6-4 loss to Tampa Bay on Tuesday, said that he will be participating in the Home Run Derby.

“I was really honored. I was hoping they’d ask,” said Rice, who’ll aim to become the first Yankees player to win the derby since Aaron Judge in 2017. “It doesn’t feel real until they actually reach out, but it was cool when they did.”

New York Yankees' Ben Rice celebrates as he rounds the bases after his home run during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Monday, July 6, 2026, in St. Petersburg, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken)

The 27-year-old Rice said on social media that his father, Dan, who pitched in college at Brown in the 1980s, will throw to him. Rice said they’ve already been practicing for the contest.

“I had to think through it and make sure it was the right decision to participate and see if my dad could do it,” Rice said, noting that his father has thrown to him from the time he learned to play to the present.

Rice has 59 homers over his first three seasons in the majors.

This is the second straight a year a Yankees player will appear in the Home Run Derby. Jazz Chisholm Jr. entered last year but was eliminated in the first round.

Judge is one of four Yankees players to win the Home Run Derby. The others are Tino Martinez (1997), Jason Giambi (2002) and Robinson Canó (2011).

Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero also is participating in the event. The full field has not yet been announced.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb