July 3, 2026 Updated 1:16 pm EDT
Ben Rice and Byron Buxton face off in a showdown of top-10 power hitters when the New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins meet on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET. Rice has 23 home runs (sixth in league) for the Yankees, and Buxton is fourth with 25 round-trippers for the Twins. Gerrit Cole (2-3, 4.06 ERA) will start for the Yankees, who are 48-38 this season and second in the AL East. Mike Paredes (0-1, 4.26 ERA) is starting for the Twins, who are 42-46 and third in the AL Central.
How to watch Minnesota Twins vs. New York YankeesTwins vs. Yankees odds
Injury reportsYankees
Giancarlo Stanton: 10 Day IL (Leg), Aaron Judge: 10 Day IL (Rib), Ryan McMahon: 10 Day IL (Throat), Trent Grisham: 10 Day IL (Hamstring), Max Fried: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Clarke Schmidt: 60 Day IL (Elbow)
Twins
Ryan Jeffers: 10 Day IL (Hand), Bailey Ober: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Cole Sands: 15 Day IL (Forearm), Anthony Banda: 15 Day IL (Lat), Mick Abel: 15 Day IL (Elbow), Pablo Lopez: 60 Day IL (Elbow), Garrett Acton: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), David Festa: 60 Day IL (Shoulder), Byron Buxton: day-to-day (Hip)
Stats to know
New York’s Rice has hit 23 home runs this season, which ranks 6th in MLB. He has also tallied 54 RBIs (19th in MLB) and has scored 57 runs. In 347 plate appearances, he has recorded a .269 BA, .360 OBP and .561 SLG with a 12.1% walk rate and a 23.9% strikeout rate.
In 361 plate appearances, Cody Bellinger has hit 11 long balls, tallied 49 RBIs and scored 46 runs. He is batting .254/.352/.433 and has posted a 14.1% strikeout rate and a 13.6% walk rate. Bellinger has recorded 10 steals on 14 attempts.
Buxton is hitting for a .268 BA, .325 OBP and .573 SLG with a 24.6% strikeout rate and a 6.7% walk rate. His OPS is .898, which ranks 12th in MLB, and he has scored 56 runs. In 329 plate appearances, he has hit 25 home runs (4th in MLB) and driven in 43 runs. Buxton has recorded seven steals on seven attempts.
In 334 plate appearances, Brooks Lee has posted a 15.6% strikeout rate and a 6.9% walk rate while slashing .251/.306/.440 with 14 home runs, 47 RBIs and 42 runs scored. He has stolen five bases on eight attempts.
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Photo: Jamie Squire, Ishika Samant, Scott Taetsch, Alika Jenner / Getty Images
Jul 3, 2026
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