The MLB has announced plans to implement an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system in the major leagues during the 2026 season.
As reported by The Dallas Express, the ABS system was previously tested by the MLB during the 2025 All-Star Game.
Similarly, the minor leagues have spent the past few years testing this system, with the MLB also choosing to implement and test the ABS system during the most recent spring training.
This process will now be used to enhance the accuracy of strike zones in the MLB.
The MLB wrote in a social media post that the ABS system “uses cameras set up around the perimeter of the field to track the location of each pitch and a graphic on the scoreboard shows the result of the challenge.”
This system is already set to have a variety of rules that will come along, with each team receiving two challenges per game and retaining those challenges if used successfully.
One extra challenge will also be granted to teams for every additional inning that is played beyond the standard nine innings.
Additionally, challenges will be signaled by a player who touches their hat, and these challenges can only be prompted by a challenge, the pitcher, catcher, or batter immediately after the pitch.
Finally, players are not allowed to receive any support from the dugout when deciding whether to initiate a pitch challenge.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement that previous changes have “had staying power and created momentum for the game,” which is the expectation for this new change coming next season.
“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,” he said, per the MLB.
“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.”
The MLB stated that the system was utilized an average of four times per game during 2025 spring training, with teams having a success rate of roughly 50% during those attempts.
Notably, the defense and offense challenged calls at a similar rate, with the defense being correct on roughly 54% of challenges and the offense being slightly behind at 50%.