12:52pm: As anticipated, the ABS problem system has been accredited, per an MLB announcement.
11:50am: Main League Baseball’s Joint Competitors Committee will meet immediately to vote on the implementation of the Automated Ball-Strike system for the 2026 season, Joel Sherman of the New York Publish reviews. The 11-person committee — comprised of six homeowners, 4 gamers and one umpire — is predicted to approve the ABS system for subsequent 12 months.
It’ll be a radical shift to the sport’s id — one which many followers really feel is overdue however many others oppose with fervor. The strike zone won’t be absolutely automated if and when the ABS system is accredited. Relatively, the problem system that has been used within the minor leagues, throughout spring coaching and through this 12 months’s All-Star Sport will probably be in place.
Underneath the incoming ABS system, any pitcher, catcher or hitter will have the ability to faucet his helmet or cap to suggest his want to problem a ball or strike name from the house plate umpire. Groups are afforded two challenges per recreation however are solely docked a problem whether it is unsuccessful. As soon as a group has two unsuccessful challenges, they’ll be out of challenges for the rest of the sport. In principle, there’s no restrict to the variety of profitable challenges a group might undergo in a recreation. Challenges should come instantly after a ball/strike name is made; the dugout can not have the group’s replay coordinator assessment the pitch and name for a problem 10 to fifteen seconds after the pitch was delivered, for example. The problem end result will probably be proven on the on the scoreboard instantly after a problem is granted.
For a lot of gamers, this technique will probably be second-nature. The ABS system was first applied within the low minors again in 2021. It’s been commonplace on the Triple-A degree since 2022. Extra veteran gamers acquired their first style of it throughout spring coaching 2025 and may have all the 2026 spring schedule to acclimate to the modifications. As with all notable change, there will probably be some hurdles and possibly some hiccups within the adoption, however the league’s hope is unquestionably that — very similar to the pitch clock and, to a lesser extent, instantaneous replay — it’ll rapidly turn into a reasonably seamless integration.
