Any Way to Avoid a Catcher Defensive Substitution?

I've been playing this game for 18+ years now and in my most recent season just encountered a strange defensive substitution pattern by HAL.

I have a team in a 2020 Actual league with Kevin Plawecki [3(+1)e8,T-1(pb-0)] as my starting catcher.

My sub catcher (also my DH against reverse lefty starters) is Meibrys Viloria [4(-1)e5,T-20(pb-3)].

I do not have Viloria set as a defensive replacement at catcher on the Team Strategy page, nor do I have “Rem. 4 def sub with lead” checked for Plawecki on the Hitter Preferences page. HAL nonetheless keeps replacing Plawecki with Viloria when I have the lead.

I get that Viloria has a better arm rating and slightly better error rating, but that would seem to me to be counterbalanced by a higher range rating, a higher passed ball rating, and a much higher throwing error rating. There have been times when Viloria has come in at catcher, the opponent has taken the lead, and Viloria has had to bat against righty pitchers with the game on the line. I would much prefer Plawecki to still be in the lineup.

My team is having a good season (current record 87-54), but I am not sure why HAL insists on making this defensive replacement that I have not asked for.

Any way to stop it from happening?

I have run into this from time to time also, and not only at catcher. My only suggestion is to make Plawecki your defensive replacement C and hope HAL sees that.

I have run into this from time to time also, and not only at catcher. My only suggestion is to make Plawecki your defensive replacement C and hope HAL sees that.

I've seen it before at other positions, too, but in those cases the defensive sub was obviously been the better defender; I just didn't think the defensive advantage was big enough to justify making him a defensive substitution myself. In this case, I don't see that Viloria necessarily has the better defensive rating.

I'll try making Plawecki a defensive sub on my Team Strategy page.