MLB explains Angel Hernandez’s absence from umpiring

May 30, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; MLB home plate umpire umpire Angel Hernandez (5) looks on during the fifth inning between the Miami Marlins against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Angel Hernandez has long been one of MLB’s most high-profile umpires, albeit for all the wrong reasons. That has made his absence in 2023 even more conspicuous.

Hernandez has only worked one game all season. He served as the first base umpire for the Chicago White Sox-San Francisco Giants game on April 3. The league and the Major League Baseball Umpires Association had not commented on his absence, which fans were starting to notice in recent weeks.

We now have an explanation as of Monday, however.

MLB umpire director Randy Marsh told Andrew Joseph of For The Win that Hernandez’s ongoing absence is related to a “medical matter.”

Hernandez is consistently regarded as one of the league’s worst umpires. The league has kept him from working the playoffs in recent years, which prompted him to file a discrimination lawsuit against MLB that has led to some unfavorable disclosures. That, apparently, is not the cause of his absence, though.