New York Yankees slugger Ben Rice will be swinging for the fences in Philadelphia on July 13.

Rice, who leads the Yankees with 25 homers this season, announced Tuesday that he will be participating in the Home Run Derby.

He'll look to become the first Yankees player to win the derby since Aaron Judge in 2017.

The 27-year-old Rice said on social media that his father, Dan, who was a pitcher on Brown's baseball team in the 1980s, will throw to him. Rice said they've already been practicing for the contest.

Rice has 58 homers over his first three seasons in the majors.

This is the second straight a year a Yankees player will appear in the Home Run Derby. Jazz Chisholm Jr. entered last year but was eliminated in the first round.

Judge is one of four Yankees players to win the Home Run Derby. The others are Tino Martinez (1997), Jason Giambi (2002) and Robinson Canó (2011).

Tampa Bay's Junior Caminero also is participating in the event. The full field has not yet been announced.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Former Afghanistan fast bowler Shapoor Zadran has died after a prolonged illness a day before his 39th birthday.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board made the announcement in a statement on Tuesday “with profound grief and deep sorrow.”

“Shapoor Zadran was one of the foundation-laying figures of Afghanistan cricket, whose dedication, passion, and unwavering commitment played a vital role in the rise and development of the game in our country."

Zadran was suffering from a rare disease which affected his immune system. He was being treated at a hospital in New Delhi since January.

The 1.88-meter (6-foot-2) fast bowler took 80 wickets in 44 one-day internationals and 36 Twenty20s while playing international cricket from 2009-20.

His best performance came at the 2015 ODI World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in which he was the leading Afghanistan wicket-taker with 10. He also played in four T20 World Cups and took nine wickets in nine games.

Zadran’s career-best figures of 4-24 in ODIs came on debut against the Netherlands in 2009. He made his T20 debut against Ireland in February 2010 and his best performance was 3-40 against Bangladesh in 2018.

“Shapoor served Afghanistan cricket with honor, courage, and pride,” the ACB said. “His efforts in the service of the national team will never be forgotten.”

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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket