Injury Scout Update - Greg Gibson's Triple-A Plate

Greg Gibson served as the home plate umpire for Saturday's minor league (Triple-A) Memphis-Omaha game. Just like injured players, umpires seeking to rejoin MLB's Third Team after a lengthy absence complete minor league rehab assignments on their way back to the Show, a sign that a return to big league baseball is near.

Gibson, whose last MLB game was in May, officiated the first game of the Redbirds-Storm Chasers series on Friday night as the first base umpire alongside Pacific Coast League umpires Jason Starkovich, Nate Tomlinson, and Alex Ziegler.

To really bring Gibby back to full speed, the teams even got into a bean ball war (presumably in Greg's honor) when Omaha's Heath Fillmyer hit batter Lane Thomas with a pitch, resulting in Fillmyer and Storm Chasers Manager Brian Poldberg's 9th inning ejections, care of HP Umpire Starkovich. Earlier in the game, Starkovich ejected Redbirds pitcher Harold Arauz for drilling opponent Nick Dini, resulting in automatic warnings.

Saturday's Lunar Lady Bobblehead Giveaway night celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing was less eventful from an officiating standpoint as Omaha walked off with the 6-5 victory on an Erick Mejia home-run, though photographic evidence indicates that Gibson issued a postgame warning to Storm Chasers outfielder Brett Phillips and a teammate, whose eyes appeared set on giving the MLB'er a Gatorade shower before Greg Gibson, the home plate umpire, motioning to both players, put an end to the idea of dumping a cooler full of liquid on him as the Storm Chasers celebrated in their dugout (and on the field).