DP/Flex
 

Sit. ASA and NFHS rules.
In the game the DP has come in defensively for the Flex and the team has gone down to a 9 person lineup. Now they want to bring a sub off the bench into the flex position. Do they first have to bring in the original Flex then sub for her or can they just bring in the sub in the 10th position?

NCAA they may bring in the sub without first bringing in the original Flex, according to Sally Walker.

Yes, they can sub for the flex without first bringing the original flex back into the game.

If this were not the case, the DP/Flex would be unusable the 2nd time the flex or DP was dropped and the lineup went to 9. There would be no way to re-enter them to then sub for.

Logical....but the problem is that logic rarely applies to some softball rules..

There is no need to bring in a starter in any position to make a subsequent substitution that doesn't include the starter reentering. We note in every rule set that the lineup which starts with DP/FLEX can go from 10 to 9 and 9 to 10 any number of times, limited only by the number of legal subs and reentry rules. With that being the case, how many times would you reenter the starting FLEX (or DP) in order to enter a different sub?

The DP and FLEX are positions available in the lineup; they aren't solely dependent on who the starter is. Same as the F1 and F2 get courtesy runners based on who played the position, not who started in that position.

Final example (taken to the absurdity); #18 is the starting pitcher. In the 3rd, coach makes a change, #14 for #18. In the 5th, coach wants to change #6 for #14; does the coach need to reenter #18 in order to enter #6? Obviously not; the same rule and logic applies to the FLEX position. It didn't go away to be resurrected ONLY by the starter; it is dormant until the coach fills it with any valid sub (or re-entry).

I believe most of the time, when it seems muddy, remembering this makes all the difference:

The flex is a position, not a person. A person plays that position.