Yankees Prospect Was Absolutely Beaming After First Career Hit

Tom Dierberger | Jun 18, 2024

Yankees rookie Ben Rice reacts after notching his first career hit on Tuesday night. / YES Network

It was quite the day for New York Yankees prospect Ben Rice.

The Yankees recalled the 25-year-old Rice on Tuesday as part of a flurry of roster moves that included first baseman Anthony Rizzo landing on the 10-day injured list.

The team's official social media account posted a hilarious screenshot from the Facetime call when Rice was informed he would be making his MLB debut.

That moment when you get called up to The Big Leagues: pic.twitter.com/8Ffu2sQwzq

— New York Yankees (@Yankees) June 18, 2024

Rice didn't have to wait long to get on base, either.

Batting sixth and starting at first base against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium, Rice flew out to left field in his first at-bat but singled to right field in the third inning. As he rounded first base, Rice didn't hold back his emotions and broke into a huge smile.

Yankees rookie Ben Rice couldn't contain his excitement when he picked up his first MLB hit 🥲

(via @MLB)
pic.twitter.com/eNM9ty1NWT

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 19, 2024

Rice, a 12th-round pick by the Yankees in 2021, was ranked by MLB.com as the organization's No. 12 prospect heading into the '24 campaign. He batted .261/.382/.511 in 49 games for Double-A Somerset before being promoted to Triple-A earlier this month. After just 11 games with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, Rice received the call up to the big leagues on Tuesday.

Rice went 1-for-4 in his debut, helping the Yankees beat the Orioles 4–2 to extend their lead in the AL East to 2.5 games.