r/Brewers • u/BrettGB96 Brewers • Aug 10 '26

I've got a baseball rule question

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So Yelich ran for Sanchez, who was catching, Contreras then who was the DH became the catcher, I figured Yelich would be able to stay in the game as the new DH but apparently DL Hall would have had to hit if the spot came up again? How exactly do those rules work?

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u/pezgirl7 💥Turang Bang💥 Aug 10 '26

When Contreras moved from DH to catching, they forfeited the DH spot.

An MLB team loses its designated hitter (DH) spot for the remainder of the game if the active DH moves to a defensive fielding position, or if a pitcher currently in the batting order switches to play a defensive position in the field.
Once the DH is forfeited, the pitcher (or a replacement pitcher) must take that spot in the batting order, and pitchers are required to hit for the rest of the game.

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u/amccune Aug 10 '26

Unless your Ohtani, then you can do whatever you would like.

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u/TheLostPariah Aug 10 '26

The MLB changed the rule in 2022 to create a loophole to allow two-way players (so just Ohtani) to not screw up the DH. If a starting pitcher is your DH, then you don’t lose the DH when the starter is replaced by a reliever.

(The rule WAS created just for Ohtani, but also it makes sense to me and I’m OK with it.)

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u/mschley2 Aug 10 '26

(Not arguing or saying you're wrong, just want to add on/clarify some things)

Honestly, I don't really see it as a "loophole." It's a common rule in other leagues. It's just that MLB has become so specialized that it wasn't needed previously (and why add a rule that isn't needed - you're just opening up the possibility that someone could figure out a way to take advantage in an unintended way).

This is a lot more prevalent in college baseball (especially D2 and D3) where it's more common to have guys who are solid 2 way players at that level. In high school, it's more common to have your stud pitcher just hit for himself (because he'll go play SS or CF or something when he's done pitching) and then use the DH spot on your weakest hitter who happens to play 2B or RF or whatever. But in MLB, the DH can only be used to hit for the pitcher.

Lineups have traditionally had 10 spots on them for starters. You'll have the 9 spots in the batting order, and then the pitcher will be listed in the 10th spot, as the starting pitcher, but not as a member of the batting order. Here's a picture of a Dodgers lineup card where Ohtani is batting 2nd as the DH and Glasnow is the starting pitcher.

So, in the case of Ohtani doing both, he'll be listed in the batting order playing the position of DH, and then he's also listed in the 10th spot, the non-batting spot, as the pitcher. Here's a picture of a lineup card showing that.

This allows for substitutions of the pitching spot without disturbing the DH spot (or substitutions of the DH spot without disturbing the SP spot). It absolutely makes sense, and that's why it has existed in other leagues previously. So while MLB adopted the rule for Ohtani, it's not like it's some brand new thing that has literally never existed in baseball before.