MLB umpire CB Buckner was injured during the Tampa Bay Rays and Milwaukee Brewers game on Wednesday afternoon. In the second inning, an errant tip from Nick Fortes' bat hit Buckner in the mask. The umpire fell to the ground and was late attended to by medical trainers.
The Brewers' starting pitcher Jakub Misiorowski threw a 100 mph fastball, and Fortes sent it into Buckner's mask on a direct hit. Chad Fairchild took over behind the plate in Buckner's place. Thankfully, the 63-year-old eventually walked off the field and into the clubhouse.
It has been a difficult start to the 2026 MLB season for Buckner, who has been the subject of criticism due to his ball-strike calls. Buckner, who has been an MLB umpire since the 1996 season, has one of the worst results in MLB's new ABS challenge system. In fact, six of the eight challenges against Buckner were overturned during the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds game.
Most notably, Buckner was in the news for his call during the Rays-Brewers game on Tuesday night. Buckner was serving as the first-base umpire when he threw out Jake Bauers on an infield single for not touching the bag in the sixth inning.
Replays clearly showed Bauer touching the top of the bag and the call was overturned. Rays manager Kevin Cash and Brewers manager Pat Murphy were smiling during the delay. It was a shocking call, but the Brewers were able to right the wrong with a challenge.
Buckner hasn't been in the headlines for the right reasons to start 2026; However, his health is the top priority after suffering a facial injury on Wednesday. Hopefully, Buckner escaped serious injury.
READ MORE: One week into the season, who remains an MLB free agent?
