MLB approves robot umpires for 2026 as part of challenge system (www.espn.com)

Major League Baseball has approved an automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge system for the 2026 season that effectively ushers in “robot umpires” for disputed calls. Under the plan teams get two challenges per game (with rules for carryover and automatic extra challenges in extras), and only hitters, pitchers or catchers can trigger a review by tapping their head; successful challenges display the pitch on the stadium videoboard and the team keeps the challenge. The vote wasn’t unanimous on the competition committee but had strong owner support; MLB frames the change as a compromise that preserves an on-field umpire while providing a high-leverage safety net. Technically, ABS uses a tennis-style line-calling approach with 12 cameras per park tracking the ball to about one-sixth of an inch accuracy. The strike zone is defined as a 2D plane spanning the plate’s full 17-inch width and vertically from 27% to 53.5% of a player’s height. League testing since 2021 (minor leagues, spring training, All-Star Game) showed about four challenges per game and a 52.2% overturn rate this spring (catchers 56%, hitters 50%, pitchers 41%). Expected implications include reduced value for pitch-framing catchers, fewer ejections (many ejections are strike-related), and a preservation of game pace compared with fully automated ball-by-ball calls.