Veteran MLB umpire C.B. Bucknor to reportedly retire after the 2026 season, accepting buyout
Baseball fans will have only three to four more months to gripe about longtime umpire C.B. Bucknor.
Bucknor, 63, has accepted MLB's buyout offer and will retire after the season, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports.
Beginning as a National League umpire in 1996, Bucknor officiated games throughout MLB when the NL and AL umpiring staffs merged in 2000 following a labor dispute. Following the retirement of Phil Cuzzi in February, Bucknor became the longest-tenured active umpire in the majors.
However, Bucknor has not worked a game since he took a foul ball to his face mask during an April 1 matchup between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. During the second inning of that game, Rays catcher Nick Fortes fouled off a 100.2-mph inside fastball from Jacob Misiorowski, and the ball went directly into Bucknor's mask. The umpire went to his knees after the impact.
CB Bucknor took a foul ball to the mask and was in visible pain.
— js9innings (@js9inningsmedia) April 1, 2026
He left today’s game as he may have a concussion. pic.twitter.com/YHuluPblER
After being evaluated by trainers, Bucknor was able to stand up without assistance but was advised to leave the game.
Bucknor has not umpired an MLB game since then. The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported in late May that he continued to be sidelined for health reasons, not due to any sort of disciplinary measures.
"He isn't being benched," a source told Rosenthal. "That's not a real thing."
Alex Cora was ejected by CB Bucknor for arguing this check swing call on Trevor Story
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) March 28, 2026
Bucknor did not appeal to the first base umpire on the check swing, and he has already had several calls overturned on ABS challenges in today's game pic.twitter.com/Wh698UTgnl
Bucknor has long been criticized for his performance as an umpire. Two surveys of players by Sports Illustrated in 2003 and 2006 named him the worst umpire in MLB. He also topped a player survey conducted by ESPN in 2010 as the worst among his peers.
The veteran umpire has been further scrutinized this season with MLB's implementation of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system. In a March 28 game between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds, Bucknor had two strike-three calls overturned by ABS. Overall, ABS overturned six ball-strike calls from Bucknor working home plate.
"It wasn't his best day," then-Red Sox manager Alex Cora said afterward, via The Athletic.
Bucknor was part of an umpiring crew with Dan Iassogna (crew chief), Jeremie Rehak and Adam Beck.
He joins six other major-league umpires who will take MLB's buyout and finish their careers following the 2026 campaign. Laz Díaz, Brian O'Nora, Lance Barksdale, Marvin Hudson, Tony Randazzo and Andy Fletcher will join Bucknor in retirement.
