What is the golden batter rule?
Once per game a team may send any hitter in its lineup to bat in any spot, so its best hitter can bat in a key moment.
The details
- The player whose turn was skipped stays in the game.
- The golden batter may even bat twice in a row in the same inning.
By the numbers
A golden batter was used in 280 of 517 games with box scores. Examples: Oct 4, 2026, Oct 10, 2026, Oct 30, 2026.
Calculated by NanaBall from official box scores.
How this rule changed
![[1]](https://web.archive.org/web/20230823022858/https://thesavannahbananas.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/MicrosoftTeams-image-3-791x1024.jpg){kind=link}
| Season | How the rule read |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Once per game a team may send any hitter in its lineup to bat in any spot, so its best hitter can bat in a key moment. |
| 2025 | Once per game a team may send any hitter in its lineup to bat in any spot, so its best hitter can bat in a key moment. |
| 2024 | Once per game a team may send any hitter in its lineup to bat in any spot, so its best hitter can bat in a key moment. |
Sources: 2026; 2025; 2024. Summaries written by NanaBall.