Robot umps are stepping up to the plate, calls won’t be up for debate!
Major League Baseball is officially stepping into the future. Beginning in 2026, “robot umpires” — part of MLB’s Automated Ball/Strike System (ABS) — will make their debut in the big leagues after approval by the league’s 11-member competition committee.
The ABS won’t fully replace human umpires but will operate as a challenge system. In this hybrid approach, umpires continue to call balls and strikes in real time, but players can appeal those calls to the computer. Only a batter, pitcher, or catcher can challenge, and they must signal within two seconds by tapping their helmet or cap. Dugout input is prohibited. When a challenge is made, the pitch’s path and strike zone graphic appear instantly on the stadium scoreboard and TV broadcast, and the umpire updates the count.
Each team gets two challenges per game, with an additional one added for each extra inning. Teams retain their challenge if successful — mirroring MLB’s current video review system first introduced for home runs in 2008 and expanded in 2014.
Robot umpire technology has been tested in the minors since 2019, most recently at Triple-A, spring training, and this year’s All-Star Game in Atlanta. Stadiums are equipped with cameras that track every pitch to determine if it crosses the strike zone.
On average, the challenge process takes just 17 seconds — a brief pause that could usher in one of baseball’s most significant rule changes since instant replay.
