The Yankees defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates by a score of 6-2 in spring training action on Monday afternoon.
Here are the takeaways...
-- Ben Rice served as the DH and led off. After popping out in his first at-bat, Rice came up with the bases loaded and two outs his second time up, and ripped a two-run single up the middle to give Yanks a 3-1 lead in the second inning. He added another hit with a single in the fourth, and walked in his final plate appearance, reaching base three times in total. Rice and Paul Goldschmidt figure to split time at first base this season in the Bronx.
-- Jasson Dominguez got the start in left field, hitting second in the order, and he followed Rice by lining a two-out RBI double to extend the Yankees' lead to 4-1 in the second. He ended his day 1-for-4 with three strikeouts. Dominguez could be the odd man out in the outfield, but he's already put together a couple of hits this spring.
-- Spencer Jones, playing center and batting fifth, walked on four pitches in his first at-bat, coming around to score as part of that four-run second inning. But he ended up going 0-for-2 with a pair of strikeouts, something that has plagued him throughout his minor league career.
-- The Yankees' lone home run of the day came off the bat of minor league catcher Miguel Palma, who hit a solo shot in the eighth inning. Palma was signed in December.
-- Lefty Ryan Yarbrough allowed one run on pair of singles in the first inning, but he settled in and had a decent outing overall. The southpaw went 2.0 innings, allowing one earned run on three hits while striking out four and walking one.
Paul Blackburn followed Yarbrough on the bump, and he pitched around three hits to give the Yankees two scoreless innings.
-- Bubba Chandler, ranked by MLB Pipeline as the No. 11 prospect in all of baseball, was the starter on the mound for the Pirates, but the young right-hander struggled mightily with his command. He recorded just five outs while walking four, including walking Payton Henry to force in a run.
Highlights
Ben Rice knocks in a pair! pic.twitter.com/QsdfCcExgn
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 23, 2026
An RBI double for Jasson Dominguez! pic.twitter.com/mqruegmca5
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) February 23, 2026
Up Next
The Yankees stay on the road and face the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday at 1:07 p.m.