Major League Baseball will use the 2025 spring training season to test the use of the Automated Ball-Strike Challenge System in spring training games. The system has been used in various levels of minor league baseball since 2019 and in Triple-A during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. It was found that the length of games was extended only 17 seconds by using the system.
It differs from the “robot umpire” approach in that umpires continue to call balls and strikes. Each team gets two challenges per game that are retained if the umpire is overturned. Either the pitcher, catcher or hitter can challenge the call but it must be done immediately after the call is made.