flex/dp

Question
I have 10 player line up my #9 is DP, #10 is flex. My short stop gets injured can I replace her at all in the game? Can I take away the flex and DP designation at all during a game? or am I forced to take an automatic out for the short stop in the line up?I would like your ideas.

Answer
Hi Lezlee,

Thank you for your question.  I see that you are using a 10-player, dp/flex lineup.  Do you have any substitutes?  Maybe I need to sharpen my reading skills, but I couldn't tell for sure if you have any substitutes or not.  

If you do have substitutes, then you can enter one for your injured shortstop.  The dp/flex format doesn't disallow the use of substitutes.  Once you have announced at the plate talk that you will be using the dp/flex format, though, you can't eliminate it.  You can go from 10 players down to 9, or go from 9 players up to 10, and end the game with either 9 or 10 players, but either the dp or the flex or both will always be in the game.

If you don't have any substitutes, then I need to know if the injured shortstop is your flex or not.  1) If the shortstop is your flex, then the dp can play defense for her and keep her 9th spot in the batting order, and you are down to 9 players for the remainder of the game.  Now you have nine defenders and nine batters.  2) If the shortstop isn't your flex, then, again, the dp can play defense for her.  However, none of the 9 remaining players can bat in the shortstop's spot in the batting order, so you will have to take an automatic out for her every time she was due to bat there.  Again, now you are down to 9 players for the remainder of the game: nine defenders and eight batters.

Scott Kelly