Ben Rice struggles during slump as Yankees lose to Red Sox

Multiple reports describe a recent downturn for Yankees first baseman Ben Rice during a loss to the Boston Red Sox. After a season in which he has largely produced at an MVP-candidate level, Rice’s performance declines during an “ugly stretch,” reaching what one account calls a low point in the specific game versus Boston. The articles characterize Rice’s current period as a grind, indicating that he is working through difficulties at the plate rather than producing the consistent results he showed earlier in the season. While both sources focus on the same storyline and game, they emphasize different phrasing around the slump rather than citing a larger change in role, injury status, or team strategy. Overall, the coverage centers on Rice’s recent struggles and frames the outcome of the Yankees–Red Sox game as another example of that slump. The reports do not present competing explanations for his decline; instead, they align on the basic timeline: strong earlier production followed by a noticeable recent dip.