[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by "Lurker"77

Can't speak to USA rulebook, but merely from a recreational sports angle, shouldn't any ruling treat this guy in his car going to work in the same way that it would treat a player in the restroom outside the dugout, tending to a situation with a child outside the dugout, a player who runs to the parking lot to grab a water bottle, or (in a different vein) an incapacitated/injured player who is listed in the lineup and in the dugout. If it does not delay/interfere with their involvement in play, how would the umpire on the field differentiate among them until something actually happens on the field in the game? Is a (recreational) player's work schedule or injury status--even in the obvious cases-- something an umpire's wants to claim knowledge and jurisdiction over?

This was my opinion of the situation also, but it has become an issue within the department to some extent.