MLB officials "privately expect" the league to "formally introduce" an automated ball-strike system (ABS) in 2026 alongside a challenge system, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today. The league is notably "tabling the automated ball-strike system" for 2025.
The system (known as ABS) is being used in the minor leagues at the Triple-A level and the SIngle-A Florida State League.
On Thursday, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred cautioned at the conclusion of the owners' meetings in New York that the ABS could be used in 2025.
"We still have some technical issues; I don't mean technology, I mean technical issues in terms of the operation of the system," Manfred said, per MLB.