Yankees fans can breathe a collective sigh of relief, but they'll have to wait a bit longer to see one of baseball's hottest hitters back in the lineup. Ben Rice is sitting out Monday's series finale against the Baltimore Orioles after a scary moment on Sunday left him with a left-hand contusion.

The incident occurred in the third inning when a throw from pitcher Max Fried took an unexpected path. Rice, expecting the ball to come in lower, found it rising instead. "I caught it poorly. It kind of hit in the palm," Rice explained to reporters, including MLB.com's Bill Ladson. The good news? X-rays came back negative, and the Yankees have labeled the rookie sensation as day-to-day.

Veteran Paul Goldschmidt will step in at first base for the series finale, giving Rice some much-needed recovery time. And what a recovery the Yankees are hoping to protect—Rice has been nothing short of phenomenal this season. His 1.214 OPS and 232 OPS+ lead all of Major League Baseball, and his 12 home runs put him just one behind Aaron Judge and Munetaka Murakami for the league lead.

While any extended absence would be a blow to a Yankees lineup already loaded with firepower, the early indications suggest this is just a minor bump in the road. For now, the Bronx Bombers will lean on Goldschmidt's experience as they look to close out their series with the Orioles on a high note.