Breaking News: MLB to Implement ABS Challenge System in 2026
A significant rule change is anticipated next season with the introduction of the ABS challenge system.
ARIZONA, CA—Just six games are remaining for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, and across the league, we’ve finally entered the last full week of the 2025 regular season.
However, on Tuesday afternoon, Major League Baseball dropped a bombshell announcement that, starting next season, the league would implement the ABS (Automatic Ball Strike) challenge system.
The Joint Competition Committee decided on Tuesday afternoon to introduce the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System, supported by T-Mobile, to the major leagues. This follows several years of testing in the Minor Leagues and its deployment during MLB Spring Training and the All-Star Game this year.
“The previous rule changes that have been adopted by the Joint Competition Committee have had staying power and created momentum for the game,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
“We used the same process with ABS that started with listening to fans, conducting extensive testing at the Minor League level, and trying at every step to make the game better. Throughout this process, we have worked on deploying the system in a way that’s acceptable to players. The strong preference from players for the Challenge format over using the technology to call every pitch was a key factor in determining the system we are announcing today.”
Positioned as a compromise between “robot umps,” which can call every ball and strike, and the traditional reliance on human umps prone to natural errors, the ABS Challenge System allows teams to request a swift review of key ball-strike calls during a game.
Although MLB has experimented with different forms of video replay review since 2008, this will be the first time during a championship season at the highest level that the home-plate umpire’s ball-strike calls won’t be unquestionable.
Only a batter, pitcher, or catcher can contest a call by tapping their helmet or cap, with no dugout assistance permitted. Challenges must be made within 2 seconds, and a graphic of the pitch and strike zone appears on the scoreboard and broadcast. The umpire then declares the revised count.
At Triple-A at the beginning of the 2023 season, half of the games relied on robots for ball/strike calls, while the other half had human umpires whose decisions could be appealed to the ABS.
On June 26th, 2024, MLB transitioned Triple-A to an all-challenge system. This year, the challenge system was used at 13 spring training ballparks hosting 19 teams, totaling 288 exhibition games. Teams successfully challenged 52.2% of their calls, with 617 wins out of 1,182 challenges.
During this year’s MLB All-Star Game, four out of five calls made by plate umpire Dan Iassogna were correct.
This change represents another important milestone under Commissioner Rob Manfred’s leadership, who has driven innovation in the game through various initiatives, including MLB’s pace of play.
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