Ernie Johnson remains the host of TBS’ Major League Baseball coverage during the NBA offseason, but he will not be filling that role for the rest of the season.
In a statement released Monday, Johnson announced he would be taking time away from his studio hosting duties in order to address a “family matter.” Johnson made clear that he intends to be back to his studio work for the start of the NBA season.
“I’d like to thank the leadership at TNT Sports for allowing me the time away to take care of a family matter during the baseball season. I look forward to returning to the studio for the start of the NBA season,” Johnson said in the statement, via Sam Neumann of Awful Announcing.
Turner announced that longtime MLB Network host Greg Amsinger will step in for Johnson for the rest of the season and the playoffs. TBS airs MLB games every Tuesday, and their studio crew features former All-Stars Jimmy Rollins, Pedro Martinez, and Curtis Granderson.
Hopefully Johnson and his family are not dealing with anything too serious. The much-beloved studio host has been a fixture of Turner’s sports coverage since 1990, though his future with TNT is unclear with the network in serious danger of losing NBA broadcast rights.
