C.B. Bucknor to Retire After 2026 Season Following MLB Buyout

Baseball fans will soon have only a few months left to voice their opinions about veteran umpire C.B. Bucknor, who has reportedly accepted a buyout from Major League Baseball and plans to retire after the 2026 season, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.

At 63 years old, Bucknor has been a fixture in the game since his debut as a National League umpire in 1996. He continued to officiate through the merger of the National and American League umpiring staffs in 2000, which followed a labor dispute. With the recent retirement of Phil Cuzzi, Bucknor has become the longest-tenured active umpire in the majors.

However, Bucknor has not been behind the plate since an incident on April 1, when he took a foul ball to his face mask during a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays. In the second inning, Rays catcher Nick Fortes fouled off a fastball clocked at 100.2 mph from pitcher Jacob Misiorowski, leading to a direct hit on Bucknor’s mask. The impact forced him to his knees, and while he was able to stand after being evaluated by trainers, he was advised to exit the game.

Following that incident, Bucknor has remained sidelined, not due to disciplinary actions but for health reasons, as reported by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal in late May. “He isn’t being benched,” a source clarified to Rosenthal. “That’s not a real thing.”

Throughout his career, Bucknor has faced significant criticism for his officiating. Surveys conducted by Sports Illustrated in 2003 and 2006 labeled him as the worst umpire in MLB, and another poll by ESPN in 2010 reaffirmed this perception. This season, the introduction of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system has only intensified scrutiny of his performance. In a game on March 28 between the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds, Bucknor had two strike-three calls overturned by the ABS, contributing to a total of six overturned calls while working behind the plate.

“It wasn’t his best day,” remarked then-Red Sox manager Alex Cora in response to Bucknor’s performance, as noted by The Athletic.

As Bucknor prepares to close out his career, he will join six other umpires who have also accepted MLB’s buyout, including Laz Diaz, Brian O’Nora, Lance Barksdale, Marvin Hudson, Tony Randazzo, and Andy Fletcher. Together, they will conclude their tenure in the league following the 2026 season.

Note: This recap is an independently written summary based on publicly available reporting.