"Bryce Harper about to punch a robot" - Fans dream of hilarious scenarios as MLB set to implement ABS challenge system in 2026 season

According to latest reports, MLB is set to introduce the groundbreaking ABS challenge system in the upcoming 2026 season, allowing players to challenge balls and strikes which they believe have been called incorrectly by umpires.

Insider Jeff Passan broke the news about MLB's plan to implement the technology via X on Tuesday.

"Major League Baseball will implement a challenge system for balls and strikes in the 2026 season after the league’s competition committee voted to usher in the era of robot umpiring. Teams will receive two challenges to dispute calls by the home-plate umpire." Passan posted

Reacting to Passan's post, several fans made jokes at the expense of several MLB superstars, imagining hilarious scenarios that could be possible after the introduction of the challenge system.

"Bryce Harper about to punch a robot for arguing balls and strikes. 😂" a fan commented

"Jazz Chisholm will be thrown out at least once for arguing with a robot" another fan wrote

"Judge hitting .400 confirmed with a .600 OBP" another fan replied

"Good. Aaron Boone is going to have to challenge Aaron Judge ABs 2X 162=324 times." another fan responded

"Spencer Jones is gonna use them all up in his first AB and still strike out every game" another fan shared

"YES!! Cal “behind” the dish will be epic!" another fan posted

MLB Comissioner Rob Manfred speaks about desire to "make the game better" with introduction of ABS challenge system

On Tuesday, MLB Comissioner Rob Manfred had his say on the upcoming introduction of the ABS challenge system. As insider Mike Axisa of CBS reported, Manfred spoke about his desire to "make the game better" with the important change.

"We used the same [testing] process with ABS that started with listening to fans, conducting extensive testing at the minor league level, and trying at every step to make the game better. Throughout this process we have worked on deploying the system in a way that's acceptable to players. The strong preference from players for the Challenge format over using the technology to call every pitch was a key factor in determining the system we are announcing today."

"I commend the Joint Competition Committee for striking the right balance of preserving the integral role of the umpire in the game with the ability to correct a missed call in a high-leverage situation, all while preserving the pace and rhythm of the game. I thank the Major League Umpires for their collaboration and the Major League Players for their feedback in moving the game forward for the fans," Manfred said

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred - Source: Getty

In 2026, the ABS challenge system will be used in every single official game, including spring training, regular season and the playoffs.

About the author

Raghav Mehta is a baseball journalist at Sportskeeda awaiting results for a Bachelor's in Journalism from Delhi University. He enjoys highlighting the key battles between players at different stages of the game and analyzing the decisive moments upon which they hinge.

One of Raghav's favorite moments, which underscores this, was the Shohei Ohtani vs. Mike Trout clash in the 2023 WBC, where two of baseball's best players faced off against each other in the 9th inning. With the score 3-2 to Japan, Shohei eventually got the strikeout, which was absolute cinema.

Raghav is a Baltimore Orioles fan and is enjoying watching such an exciting young team compete at the top in a very competitive division.

Raghav has loved watching sports for as long as he can remember and realized he was pretty decent at writing his thoughts down at around the age of 14. Combining the two meant he had something he would enjoy doing every day, and he had identified that well before going to college.

Aside from work, Raghav enjoys playing sports, working out and watching movies.

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Edited by Raghav Mehta