Overview
- Rice announced Tuesday on Instagram that he will participate in the T‑Mobile Home Run Derby at Citizens Bank Park and that his father will serve as the pitcher.
- The Derby is scheduled for July 13 and is reported to stream on Netflix, with Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero the only other player officially announced so far.
- Rice is having a career-best 2026 campaign, hitting .267/.360/.565 with 25 home runs and 57 RBI in 85 games, after a slow June and an early‑July uptick in form.
- The Yankees sit at 50‑40 with a +82 run differential, trailing the Rays by three games in the AL East while holding a multi‑game lead for the first AL wild‑card spot.
- Rice’s Derby entry and the choice to use his father to pitch add a human element to All‑Star week and are likely to increase attention on his breakout season and the Yankees while Aaron Judge recovers from a fractured rib.