MLB's Automated Ball-Strike challenge system (ABS) is being implemented this spring and will stick around during the 2026 season, and some of the league's biggest stars are being affected in different ...

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In a surprising twist that baseball purists might never have predicted, many Major League Baseball umpires have gone from resisting automated strike zones to actively embracing them.

Players are still figuring out what the automated strike zone looks like and which pitches they should contest at risk of costing their team.

With the Automatic Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system in line to be fully integrated in Major League games at the start of next season, it will mark the biggest rule change the sport has seen since ...

The automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system will also allow umpires to flag a specific pitch to see if they got the call correct.

Nov 9, 2025; Mesa, AZ, USA; MLB umpire Felix Neon during the Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Baseball has survived scandals, rule ...