MLB Approves Automated Ball/Strike System for 2026 Season

Major League Baseball's 11-member competition committee approved the use of the Automated Ball/Strike System in the majors starting in 2026. The decision marks the sport's first major rule change since the 2024 adjustments and comes after years of testing in the minor leagues and in separate trials.

Under ABS, human plate umpires will still call balls and strikes, but teams will be allowed two challenges per game, with an additional appeal in extra innings. Challenges must be initiated by a pitcher, catcher or batter through a tap of the helmet or cap, and a team keeps its challenge if successful. Reviews will be displayed as digital graphics on outfield videoboards, providing a visual explanation for fans.

The vote reflected broad support within the sport: 22 of 30 teams backed the plan, and all six management representatives voted in favor. On the competition committee, the group included Yankees outfielder Austin Slater and pitchers Corbin Burnes and Zac Gallen, Seattle catcher Cal Raleigh, and alternates for the Cubs were Ian Happ and Detroit's Casey Mize. The Major League Baseball Umpires Association did not comment as it focused on the 2025 season and postseason.

The Automated Ball/Strike System, known as ABS, relies on Hawk-Eye cameras and has been tested in the minor leagues since 2019. It has appeared in various forms across levels, including an AFL trial in 2019 and a stepped progression through Low-A Southeast and Triple-A before MLB moved to an all-challenge approach in Triple-A in 2024. This year, MLB conducted 13 spring-training ballparks hosting 19 teams for 288 exhibition games featuring ABS with challenges available to teams. In those exhibitions, teams won 52.2% of their ball/strike challenges.

In Triple-A this season, the average number of challenges per game rose to 4.2 from 3.9, while the success rate fell to 49.5% from 50.6%. Defenses won 53.7% of challenges and offenses 45%. Proponents noted that the system preserves accountability and reduces what is widely seen as a high rate of ejections tied to balls and strikes; MLB said about 61.5% of ejections last year (and around 60% this season through a recent date) involved balls and strikes issues.

Supporters argue the format preserves human judgment at the plate while introducing a tech-assisted check that can minimize incorrect calls. The adoption is expected to reduce ejections tied to dispute over balls and strikes and to balance the sport’s pace with technological accuracy. Critics have warned that ABS could alter the dynamics of pitch framing and remove some of the human nuance behind borderline pitches.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone called the change inevitable and expressed cautious optimism about its implementation. Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt noted players will have to adjust as the system changes the game’s tempo and decision-making. Philadelphia manager Rob Thomson said many players liked it during spring training, highlighting accountability as a key benefit. Rangers catcher Kyle Higashioka emphasized that, while some aspects may be controversial, the human element would remain in the game.

The proposal includes a provision granting teams one additional challenge per inning if they run out of challenges. MLB has experimented with various strike-zone definitions under ABS, including three-dimensional options; the current system calls strikes based on where the ball crosses the midpoint of the plate, which is 8.5 inches from the front to the back. The top of the strike zone is roughly 53.5% of a batter’s height, and the bottom is about 27%.

Commissioner Rob Manfred stressed that the decision reflected players’ preference for a challenge-based approach over using technology to call every pitch, while acknowledging that no system is perfectly precise. MLB officials noted that the plan aims to preserve the strategic elements of catching and pitching while leveraging technology to improve consistency.

This move comes as MLB continues to calibrate the balance between innovation and the human elements of the game, a challenge it has faced since implementing a pitch clock, larger bases, and restrictions on shifts and pitcher disengagements in 2024.