MLB to Test Automated Strike Zone During 2025 Spring Training

The league plans to trial a challenge-based system at select ballparks, with potential regular-season implementation in 2026.

Major League Baseball will test an automated ball-strike (ABS) system at 13 spring training ballparks involving 19 teams in 2025.
The system will allow teams a limited number of challenges per game to contest umpire calls on balls and strikes, using Hawk-Eye camera technology.
The ABS has been used in minor leagues since 2019, with adjustments to strike zone dimensions and testing of different formats, including full automation and challenge systems.
Commissioner Rob Manfred emphasized the importance of feedback from players and teams during spring training to determine the system's viability for regular-season use in 2026.
Implementation of the ABS system at the major league level will require negotiations with the MLB Umpires Association, whose collective bargaining agreement expires in December 2025.