Dodgers Broadcaster Charley Steiner Not Calling Dodger Stadium Opener Due To Back Injury

Originally published by DodgerBlue.com

Charley Steiner is entering his 20th season as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ radio play-by-play announcer for AM 570 L.A. Sports, but will be missing domestic Opening Day at Dodger Stadium this year and the initial stretch of games due to a back injury.

“Over the winter, I landed on the Injured List with three compound fractures in my back. (I don’t recommend it),” Steiner said in a statement shared by the Dodgers.

“With the start of the baseball season upon us, the Dodgers are ready to go – but I’m not. This will be the first Opening Day that I will have missed since 1976, when I wore a younger man’s clothes. I look forward to returning to the mic later this season.

“In the meantime, go Dodgers!”

Steiner has primarily worked as radio broadcaster with the Dodgers but also filled in on SportsNet LA when Joe Davis is away for a Fox assignment. Steiner shifted into a reduced role after signing a contract extension with the team in December 2018.

Prior to joining the Dodgers in 2005, Steiner had a three-year stint as a broadcaster for the New York Yankees on WCBS Radio and the YES Network. He previously spent 14 years at ESPN, working as an anchor for “SportsCenter” and play-by-play announcer for national MLB and NFL broadcasts.

Steiner, who turns 75 in August, is a five-time Emmy Award winner and member of the National Radio Hall of Fame.

Tim Neverett filling in for Charley Steiner

With Steiner currently away from the Dodgers as he recovers from his back injury, Stephen Nelson and Tim Neverett are expected to help handle play-by-play duties for radio broadcasts on AM 570 L.A. Sports.

Neverett is working alongside longtime Dodgers broadcaster Rick Monday, who was inducted into the Cactus League Hall of Fame earlier this month.

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