In MLB’s 2026 season, the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System can review only the home-plate umpire’s initial call of ball or strike on a pitch the batter did not swing at. The batter, pitcher or catcher involved may request a challenge; swings and other kinds of calls are not reviewable through ABS.
Which calls qualify for an ABS challenge?
Only a called ball or called strike is eligible. A called ball may be challenged by the pitcher’s or catcher’s side; a called strike may be challenged by the batter. The review checks whether the pitch crossed the strike zone—it does not reconsider other aspects of the play.
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- Eligible: the umpire’s initial ball-or-strike call on a pitch the batter did not swing at.
- Not eligible: a pitch the batter swung at, including a checked swing, or any call other than ball or strike.
MLB’s 2026 rules announcement describes the system’s scope. Baseball Savant’s 2026 ABS metrics documentation identifies exclusions including position-player pitching and technical problems that prevent the system from functioning.
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Only the batter, pitcher or catcher involved in the pitch may initiate a challenge. A manager, coach, another player or someone in the dugout cannot request one or help the player make that request. The challenge must come from the player on the field, and the team must have one remaining.
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How long do players have to issue a challenge?
The player must signal immediately after the call. MLB’s ABS explainer says the usual window is roughly two seconds. If a play resulting from the pitch is already underway, the player may wait until that play ends before requesting review.
The official signal is a tap on the cap or helmet. MLB encourages players to say they are challenging as well, but the tap is the signal that counts.
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How many challenges does each team get?
Each team starts with two challenges. A successful challenge is retained; a call that is confirmed uses up one. In extra innings, a team receives an additional challenge only if it enters the inning with none remaining. For example, a team that starts the 10th inning with one challenge does not receive another at the start of that inning. MLB explains the allotment and procedure in its 2026 ABS explainer.
How does ABS decide whether the call was correct?
MLB describes a two-dimensional strike zone 17 inches wide, assessed as the ball passes the middle of home plate. The vertical boundaries are specific to the batter: the top is set at 53.5% of the player’s measured height and the bottom at 27%. MLB says player heights are independently measured and certified. If any part of the ball touches any part of the zone, the pitch is a strike.
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The system uses 12 Hawk-Eye cameras around the field, according to MLB’s 2026 announcement. The result appears on the ballpark scoreboard and broadcast. MLB’s announcement says the process takes approximately 15 seconds; separately, MLB reported an average review duration of 13.8 seconds during its 2025 Spring Training experiment. Those figures describe different measures and neither guarantees how long an individual review will take.
What happened in MLB’s 2025 Spring Training test?
MLB reported the following results for its 288-game Spring Training experiment in 2025. These are test results, not guaranteed rates or timings for the 2026 season.
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| Measure | Reported result |
|---|---|
| Challenges that overturned the call | 52.2% |
| Challenges per game, on average | 4.1 |
| Average challenge duration | 13.8 seconds |
| Successful challenges by role | Catchers: 56%; hitters: 50%; pitchers: 41% |
These figures are from MLB’s 2025 report on the experiment.
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When is an ABS challenge unavailable?
- The batter swung at the pitch.
- The call is not an initial ball-or-strike ruling.
- The player’s team has no challenge remaining.
- A position player is pitching.
- A technical problem prevents ABS from operating.
The challenge rules and system availability described here apply to MLB’s 2026 season. MLB’s announcement and operational descriptions are season-specific, so check the league’s current rules if you are reading this for a later season.
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