Ben Rice

Rice hit just .242 this spring, but that came with five home runs and an .835 OPS. His batted ball quality has been exceptional, and he could be in for a breakout if the Yankees give him regular at-bats. The rest of the Yankees' lineup is: C Austin Wells, RF Aaron Judge, CF Cody Bellinger, 1B Paul Goldschmidt, 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr., LF Jasson Dominguez, SS Anthony Volpe, DH Ben Rice, and 3B Oswaldo Cabrera.

Rice is starting at designated hitter and batting eighth in Thursday's opener versus the Brewers.

There was zero doubt that Dominguez would make New York's season-opening roster, but it's been officially confirmed by Yankees manager Aaron Boone, eliminating the possibility of a last-minute surprise. The 22-year-old is one of the top prospects in baseball and should make an immediate fantasy impact as a multi-category contributor. Rice's inclusion is a positive development for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues as he's projected to serve as New York's primary DH with Giancarlo Stanton (elbows) sidelined indefinitely. He's a sneaky power source in deeper fantasy formats.

This is relevant because the lineup looks like a full Opening Day lineup against right-hander Max Meyer, but Trent Grisham is starting in center field with Aaron Judge at designated hitter. This is just a reminder that the Yankees like Grisham's defense, and playing Judge at DH will help them ensure he can stay healthy throughout the season. Rice will get plenty of starts, but he is not likely to be a full-time player early on.

It wasn’t long ago that the Yankees’ lineup was almost entirely comprised of right-handed hitters, but the additions of such players as Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm, plus the emergence of in-house options like Austin Wells, Ben Rice, and switch-hitter Jasson Dominguez has brought a lot more balance to the Bronx. GM Brian Cashman even…