Changes are coming to baseball, this much is clear.
For now, the changes are limited to the Atlantic League, which is instituting a “double hook” substitution rule, in which when the starting pitcher is replaced the team also loses its designated hitter, and moving the mound to 61’6” for the second half of the inning.
Though these are just in independent ball for now, the league previously experimented with the three-batter minimum (now a major-league rule), restricting the shift (in Double-A this year), and 18-inch square bases (which will be used in Triple-A in 2021). Thus, it seems inevitable that those changes will trickle up to Major League Baseball, perhaps as soon as next year when the new collective bargaining agreement is agreed to by the league and players.