It’s officially happening.
The MLB competition committee voted on Tuesday to approve implementing the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System for the entire 2026 season.
Here’s how it will work:
— Each team will get two challenges and can keep them if they're successful
— Challenges can only be initiated by a pitcher, catcher, or batter, and the challenge must be requested immediately after the call is made
— To signal a challenge, the pitcher, catcher, or batter will tap his hat or helmet to let the umpire know, and no help from the dugout or other players on the field is allowed
— In each extra inning, a team will be awarded a challenge if it has none remaining entering the inning
The ABS system was used on a trial basis during MLB spring training games this season as well as during the 2025 All-Star Game in Atlanta.
The system has also been used, to some degree, on a more regular basis throughout the minor leagues (starting in independent ball in 2019) and the Arizona Fall League, though the process and technology have been updated over time.
According to a release from Major League Baseball, 12 Hawk-Eye cameras will be set up around the perimeter of the field to track the location of each pitch. The pitch location is compared to the batter's strike zone, and if any part of the ball touches any part of the strike zone, the pitch will be considered a strike. The home plate umpire will announce the challenge to the fans in the ballpark and a graphic showing the outcome of the challenge will be displayed on the scoreboard and broadcast. The entire process should take approximately 15 seconds.
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