Daily Report – 4/28/26
Yankees
Yesterday’s 4-2 win against the Texas Rangers was everything you could want as a Yankees fan.
With six scoreless frames, Max Fried extended his shutout streak to 14 innings. Also, Aaron Judge and Ben Rice became the second pair of teammates in Yankees history to each hit 10 home runs through their team’s first 29 games. Judge entered the game having hit 10 home runs, the second most in the American League. Rice started with nine.
In the third inning, Rice crushed a two-run shot the opposite way, tying Judge for the Yankees’ home run lead this season. Rice’s 64.5% hard hit rate leads the American League, and his 22.6% barrel rate ranks third, behind Judge and Mike Trout. That means Rice excels at maximizing the sweet spot of his bat, leading to more home runs.
Rice’s third-inning homer traveled 404 feet to left-center field, but he only launched it 23 degrees. Most hitters cannot get a ball hit that low to pass the opposite fence, but because of its exit velocity, it left the ballpark.
“This is a ballpark, they’ll tell you, that doesn’t yield a lot of home runs,” said manager Aaron Boone. “To hit a line drive into the bullpen the other way, impressive. The only more impressive thing was the breaking ball that [Judge] rifled into the seats right after him.”
Judge wasn’t going to lose his pole position on the Yankees’ home run leaderboard that easily. Batting behind Rice, he demolished a hanging curveball with a line drive over the left-field fence. With his 11th home run, he moved back into first place on the Yankees, where he belongs. He hit 3-for-3 yesterday with a pair of doubles in addition to his blast.
As great as Rice’s power numbers are, he also holds a team-best .322 batting average and ranks second in the American League in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Judge’s 1.010 OPS ranks third in the AL, behind Rice’s 1.191 mark. Rice has become a viable second-hand man to Judge, and the two sluggers are quickly forming one of the best one-two punches in baseball.
“Obviously, [Rice is] off to an amazing start,” Boone said. “But Judge [is] a ho-hum 11 homers already. Maybe his best game of at-bats tonight, where he’s on all four times, stings two doubles, smokes the homer. It’s a pretty good combo out there.”
In 1956, Yogi Berra and Mickey Mantle were the only other Yankees duo to each hit 10 home runs through their first 29 games. Judge is used to being compared to legends like Berra and Mantle, but this is new for the 27-year-old Rice, who is in his second full Big League season.
“It’s must-watch TV at this point, when he steps up to the plate,” Judge said of Rice. “Doesn’t matter if nobody’s on, guy on, tough situation. He’s going to put something in play hard, or he’s going to take his walk and pass the baton. It’s impressive to watch, and I get a front-row seat hitting behind him right now.”
The Yankees totaled three home runs yesterday, all against the righty Jack Leiter. The Yankees drafted Leiter’s father, Al, in 1984. His uncle, Mark, pitched for them in 1990, as did his cousin, Mark Jr., last season and in 2024.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. was the third Yankee to clear the fences yesterday. His first-pitch home run, in the fourth inning, was his third in his last five games. His hot streak started last Thursday in Boston when he barely cleared Pesky’s Pole, but he hit a more convincing blast in Houston the following night.
Last night wasn’t perfect for Chisholm, though. He bobbled a couple of balls in the ninth inning. One of them was deemed an error, extending David Bednar’s pursuit of his AL-leading eighth save. Another concerning stat is that Chisholm is 1-for-7 in ABS challenges this season. On Friday in Houston, he challenged a heater that obviously crossed the middle of the plate.
On Sunday, Gary Phillips reported that the Yankees have a procedure that charges players $500 for each missed challenge on balls that completely cross the strike zone. Chisholm offered to pay $1,000 because of how poorly he read the strike zone on Friday.
In other news, Giancarlo Stanton suffered a low-grade right calf strain on Friday. The Yankees waited a couple of days before scheduling his MRI because Stanton felt his injury had improved. However, calf strains of any degree are important to monitor because they can lead to Achilles injuries.
The Yankees called up Jasson Domínguez yesterday, and he went 1-for-3 with a single in his first start of the season. Today, they summoned infielder Max Schuemann from Triple-A. Because they optioned Luis Gil on Sunday, the Yankees plan to debut the rookie right-handed pitcher Elmer Rodriguez tomorrow.
Tonight, at 8:05 PM (7:05 PM CDT), RHP Cam Schlittler (3-1, 1.77 ERA) will toe the slab against veteran star right-hander Jacob deGrom (2-0, 2.13 ERA).
Here is tonight’s starting lineup for the New York Yankees:
CF Trent Grisham (L)
1B Ben Rice (L)
RF Aaron Judge (C) (R)
LF Cody Bellinger (L)
2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (L)
DH Jasson Domínguez (S)
C Austin Wells (L)
3B Ryan McMahon (L)
SS José Caballero (R)
SP: RHP Cam Schlittler (3-1, 1.77 ERA)
Yankees Transactions:
4/27: NYY optioned RHP Luis Gil to AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
4/27: NYY recalled LF Jasson Domínguez from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
4/28: NYY placed DH Giancarlo Stanton (right calf strain) on the 10-day injured list
4/28: NYY recalled 3B Max Schuemann from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Schedule
8:00 PM (7:00 PM CDT): 2026 NBA Playoffs Round 1, Game 4 – NYK (2-2) vs. ATL (2-2); NBC, Peacock
8:10 PM (7:10 PM CDT): NYY at TEX; Prime Video; SP: RHP Cam Schlittler (3-1, 1.77 ERA) vs. RHP Jacob deGrom (2-0, 2.13 ERA)
