MLB to implement player challenges for balls and strikes starting in 2026

Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that players will be able to challenge ball and strike calls starting in the 2026 season, utilizing the Automated Ball-Strike system.

24 sept 2025 - 04:36 • 4 min read

Starting with the 2026 season, Major League Baseball players will have the ability to challenge called balls and strikes in both regular season and postseason games, marking a significant shift in how the game is officiated. This adoption of a challenge system, powered by the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, follows years of testing in the minor leagues and recent trials in spring training and the All-Star Game.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that the new system "strikes the right balance of preserving the integral role of the umpire in the game with the ability to correct a missed call in a high-leverage situation, all while preserving the pace and rhythm of the game." The challenges can only be initiated by batters, pitchers, or catchers, and must be made immediately after a call is made, signaled by the player tapping their head.

Upon a challenge, an automated video will be displayed on the scoreboard, illustrating the pitch's trajectory and the strike zone as determined by a network of 12 cameras positioned around each ballpark. Each team will begin a game with two challenges. If a challenged call is overturned, the team retains that challenge; however, if the call is upheld, the team forfeits one challenge. Once a team exhausts both of its challenges, no further challenges can be made by any player for the remainder of the game.

Relief pitcher Tayler Saucedo expressed optimism about the change, noting that after initial reluctance, he now believes it will be a positive development for both players and fans. He observed that the system did not significantly slow down the game, with challenges taking approximately 10 seconds to resolve.

During spring training this year, players collectively challenged over 1,000 balls and strikes, with calls being overturned in just over half of those instances. Catchers proved to be the most effective at challenging calls, successfully overturning them 56% of the time, while pitchers had a success rate of 41%. According to MLB, each challenge added an average of 14 seconds to the game's duration.

This new challenge system builds upon baseball's existing replay review framework, which began in 2008 with home run reviews and has since expanded to include various other plays. However, called balls and strikes were traditionally considered a "human element" of the game, despite advancements in technology that highlighted the potential for inaccuracies. The ABS system was developed by Hawk-Eye, a company known for similar automated replay technologies in other sports.

Over four seasons of testing in Minor League Baseball, feedback was gathered from players, umpires, and fans, leading to adjustments. Notably, the strike zone's height was modified after players reported it seemed taller than anticipated. MLB also explored a "full ABS" system where the technology would call every pitch, but player and fan preference leaned towards the challenge format.

An internal MLB poll indicated that only 8% of Triple-A players and field staff preferred a fully automated system, with 54% favoring the challenge system and 38% preferring traditional human umpires. Manfred highlighted this strong player preference for the challenge format as a key factor in the decision.

The implementation of the ABS challenge system is considered a significant step forward by some owners. John Stanton, owner of the Seattle Mariners and chairman of MLB's joint competition committee, described it as a tool that empowers players to correct critical missed calls while retaining the human element and enhancing fan engagement.

This rule change represents MLB's most substantial since the significant adjustments implemented in 2024, which included the introduction of a pitch clock, restrictions on defensive shifts, limitations on pitcher disengagements, and the expansion of base sizes.

The challenge system is designed to coexist with pitch framing, the practice by catchers of using their body and glove to make borderline pitches appear as strikes. While some former players and managers have criticized pitch framing as a form of manipulation, the ABS challenge system aims to introduce accuracy without completely eliminating this aspect of the game.