Robot umpires approved for MLB in 2026 as part of challenge system (apnews.com)

Major League Baseball approved use of the Automated Ball/Strike System (ABS) for the 2026 season, implementing robot umpires via Hawk-Eye cameras within a team-challenge framework rather than replacing human plate umpires outright. Teams will have two challenges per game (with extra appeals in extra innings and a provision granting one additional challenge each inning if a team has none remaining), and challenges must be signaled by the pitcher, catcher or batter tapping their helmet or cap; reviews will be displayed as digital graphics on outfield videoboards. Commissioner Rob Manfred said players preferred the challenge format, and MLB emphasized the system will be phased in after extensive minor-league testing dating back to 2019. The move matters because it balances improved accuracy and transparency with existing game skills. MLB umpires currently call roughly 94% of pitches correctly (UmpScorecards), and ABS uses a strike definition tied to where the ball crosses the plate midpoint (8.5 inches from front/back) with the top of the zone at 53.5% of batter height and the bottom at 27%; MLB has also experimented with three-dimensional zones. Minor-league trial data show teams won ~52.2% of challenges historically (617 of 1,182), with Triple-A recent success near 49.5% and average challenges rising to 4.2 per game. Expect fewer ejections tied to ball/strike disputes (61.5% of ejections last year were strike-related) and ongoing debates about catcher framing and player valuation as ABS reshapes enforcement without fully eliminating human judgment.