In a team playing with eight players, what happens when the missing player's batting spot comes up to bat?

• A. An out is called each time that spot in the order comes to bat.
• B. The empty batting spot is skipped over with no penalty.
• C. The most recent player not on base may bat in that position.
• D. The game is forfeited when the empty spot in the batting order comes up.

Answer: (C)

When a team is short one batter, the empty spot in the batting order becomes an automatic out whenever it comes up to bat. There isn’t a rule that lets another player fill that spot on the fly or that skips the spot without penalty. The inning keeps moving with that out counted, and the next batter in the order comes up afterward. This is why, in practice, a missing batter’s turn to bat simply results in an out each time that spot is due, until a substitute is placed in that spot in the lineup. The other options don’t fit the rule: you don’t just skip the spot with no penalty, you don’t transfer an on-base runner to bat in that position, and the game isn’t forfeited for a missing batter.