Ben Rice is not suspended.
The social media rumors swirling around the New York Yankees first baseman over the past week? They’re completely false.
He hasn’t tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. He’s still active and contributing for the Yankees. But search trends show fans have been wondering whether Rice got hit with a suspension, and it’s easy to see why.
Yankees 1B Ben Rice is being suspended 80 games for violating MLB’s PED policy, per multiple reports.
Posts like that one have been circulating across X, Threads and Instagram for the past week. None of it’s true.
Rice keeps suiting up for the Yankees. No legitimate MLB insiders have reported anything close to this. It’s simply fabricated content designed to fool people.
The Fake News Problem
This is just the latest example of misinformation spreading across social media platforms in an attempt to go viral. It’s become a real issue across all major sports leagues.
Some of the fake reports are outlandish and easy to spot. But others seem realistic and are crafted to look legitimate. A trade rumor involving a player who’s already on the block? That’s easy for fans to believe, especially when it’s presented with official-looking graphics and language.
The way I see it, any time breaking news pops up on your feed, you need to verify it’s coming from a legitimate source. These days, plenty of accounts are manufacturing stories purely for engagement – and it often works.
The Rice suspension story shows just how quickly false information can spread when people want to believe it or share it without checking.
Always double-check the source before believing or sharing major sports news on social media.
