Major League Baseball will test robot umpires as part of a challenge system during spring training at 13 ballparks hosting 19 teams, which could lead to regular-season use in 2026.
MLB has been experimenting with the automated ball-strike system in the minor leagues since 2019 but is still working on the shape of the strike zone.
An agreement for big league use would have to be reached with the Major League Baseball Umpires Association, whose collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1.
"I would be interested in having it in '26," baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said Wednesday after an owners' meeting. "We do have a collective bargaining obligation there. That's obviously a term and condition of employment. We're going to have to work through that issue, as well."
Manfred said the spring training experiment will have to be evaluated before MLB determines how to move forward.
