Yankees fans have reason to keep a close eye on the injury report, as first baseman Ben Rice remains sidelined for a fourth straight day after suffering a left-hand contusion over the weekend. The promising slugger was forced to exit Sunday's game against the Baltimore Orioles following a pick-off throw from Max Fried, despite already going 2-for-2 with a home run before the incident.

While the team initially described Rice as day-to-day, manager Aaron Boone offered a slightly concerning update ahead of Thursday's matchup with the Texas Rangers. Boone told MLB.com's Bryan Hoch that Rice "hasn't done a lot yet" in his recovery process. However, Boone was quick to add that he still doesn't view this as an injured list situation, keeping the door open for a relatively quick return.

The timing of this injury is particularly frustrating given Rice's scorching start to the season. Before leaving Sunday's game, he had been one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball. Rice is currently tied with Houston's Yordan Alvarez for fourth in the majors with 12 home runs—just three behind teammate Aaron Judge's league-leading 15. Even more impressive, Rice boasts an MLB-best 1.214 OPS, with the next closest hitter, Mickey Moniak, sitting at 1.091.

Fortunately for New York, the team has managed to go 3-1 without Rice in the lineup. But with his hand clearly bothering him more than initially anticipated, the Yankees will be hoping their young first baseman can get back on the field soon to continue what has been a breakout campaign.