Softball Re-Entry Rule: Who Can Come Back In?

The rule

Under NFHS and USA Softball rules:

• Any player may re-enter once, whether she started the game or came in as a substitute.
• She must come back in the same batting spot she left.
• A player and the substitute who replaced her can’t both be in the game at once.

So a starter can come out, rest, and come back for her teammate who replaced her. That teammate is then out, with her own one re-entry still available if she hasn’t used it.

A second exit

A player who has already re-entered and leaves again is done for the game. If she comes back anyway, she’s an illegal substitute. Under NFHS she’s restricted to the bench for the rest of the game, and the other team’s coach chooses between the result of the play and the penalty. USA Softball disqualifies her.

A common mistake runs the other way. A player leaving the game for the first time still has her re-entry, so she isn’t an illegal substitute when she comes back.

The DP and FLEX

The designated player and the FLEX each have one re-entry too. A DP who comes back must return to her original batting spot. See the DP/FLEX rule.

Little League softball

Little League does it differently. A starter who comes out may re-enter once, in the same batting spot, but only after her substitute has met the league’s mandatory play requirement. In the Major and Junior divisions, players may also enter or re-enter on defense at any time.

Keeping track

Most re-entry arguments come from a scorebook that didn’t record who came out when. Write every change on the lineup card with the inning. The DP/FLEX lineup card has a re-entry column for each spot.