Designated/Substitute Runners for Youth baseball?

[Umpy]

I'm working with a 9U league that this year has a player who is medically prohibited from running, but still wants to play 3B or 1B and hit.  The coaches of all teams in the league are supportive of helping the kid enjoy baseball, but he won't be able to run to first if he gets the ball in play.  Discussions are ongoing on how to accommodate him.  I know some slow pitch softball and old man leagues use designated runners of some sort, is anyone familiar with a rule they might be able to adapt to youth play?

I played in a slow pitch softball league once that had a designated runner stand a few feet back behind the plate, but that would be pretty unsafe for 9U baseball I think.

[SeeingEyeDog]

Adult leagues do this because the players are old enough to make their own decisions about risk. During COVID, my association used umpire mechanics where balls and strikes were called by U1 and the PU was on a tangent line of what we refer to as first base extended or third base extended (so that we could always see the back of the hitter). This would be the only way you could accommodate this player but, for a 9U player to be disciplined enough to remain in that pre-running position would be a challenge and...he still may get injured even if he is standing in the "correct" place.

~Dawg

[Jonump]

I love the attempt to try. I recognize the liability is real but if everyone wants to try and make this happen bravo:

what about having the sub-runner in some sort of "on deck circle" position, they can be crouching behind a balloon umpire shield which they discard as they start to run. You could also have a coach in front of that runner, much like a player/coach guarding  bullpen work does.

 

[LouisB]

We had one several years ago, we rolled out the BP Pitcher L Screen and had the runner start behind it.

[ousafe]

We had similar covid mechanics as @SeeingEyeDog described. Lesson was that protection was needed from both wayward baseballs AND wayward bats.

[SH0102]

What about the old sandlot “ghost runner”.  The kid hits a ball through the infield, it’s a single and put a courtesy runner on first, he hits a gapper, courtesy runner on second. Kid hits a bomb, let him enjoy a walk around the bases.

its 9u, who cares what’s written, do what’s best for the kid