Missing Player in Lineup

[Rita C]

Originally Posted by Steve M

Rita,
It is entirely possible that a coach has inadvertantly handed you an illegal lineup card. Before accepting the lineup card as official, we want them to correct it. It's part of the plate umpire's job to make sure that the lineup card is legal - even to the point of not accepting it when something is illegal.
Correcting that/those issues is not making a change.
Making a change means that somebody has entered/left the game or somebody has changed defensive position.

Hugo and I talked yesterday, and he gave me a possibility that hadn't occurred to me and hasn't yet happened.

So I get the lineup cards and check that everything is correct, making any necessary changes. Then when I get it back, it becomes official.

What I hadn't considered is the coach who wants to keep the option of DP/Flex but doesn't want to use it right away. After the lineups are official he could, theoretically, immediately reduce his lineup to nine and still have the option of DP/Flex later in the game.

THAT was the answer to my question.

Rita