james gregg / arizona daily star

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Bill Hohn has umpired major-league baseball games for 18 seasons, but injuries have stalled his career lately.

In the last two years, he has had three surgeries to repair herniated disks in his lower back and the sciatic nerve in his left hip. Hohn, a 52-year-old native of Butler, Pa., missed most of 2007.

During his comeback, he has spent the last seven days on a rehabilitation stint at Tucson Sidewinders games. He is expected to return to the major leagues Friday in Atlanta.

"My love of the game, it's hard for me to call it quits," said Hohn, an umpire at the 1994 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh. "I'd like to umpire for a couple more years."

The physical toughness. Hohn first encountered back problems during the 2005 playoffs. "It's extremely demanding," he said of the job. "Many umpires have hurt their disks in their neck and back and had knee surgeries, concussions, broken hands and thumbs from foul tips."

The injury. Hohn had surgery in May 2006 and two others later that year. It was the start of a long process. "He's very, very fortunate to look like he's going to rebound and get back on the field," said Cris Jones, an umpire supervisor from the commissioner's office.

The return. Hohn will complete his rehab stint with Tucson today. "He looks OK," Jones said. "I saw him last year rehab in Salt Lake and Las Vegas and he looks 90 percent better. He's moving around much better."

How common. In roughly the past five years, about 15 umpires have rehabbed, Jones said. He credited Mark Letendre, medical director for major-league umpires, for focusing on their health and extending career longevity. "(There's) more awareness to say, 'You need to get off the field.' " Jones said. "Before, we tried to stay on the field and tried to work through the injuries."