Fenway Park Will Have Robot Umpires In 2026

There's no stopping it. AI is here, and it's not going anywhere. Red Sox fans in Massachusetts will get to witness the Automated Ball-Strike System, or ABS next year at Fenway Park in Boston.

On Tuesday, Major League Baseball's leaders voted to bring in robot umpires for the 2026 season. These smart machines, called the Automated Ball-Strike System, or ABS, will work with real umpires to make calls fairer.

Presently, umpires stand behind home plate and use their eyes to judge pitches. They get it right about 94% of the time, but sometimes they miss. With ABS, teams can challenge up to two calls per game if they think the umpire was wrong.

Who decides on when to use ABS? This is interesting...

Only the batter, pitcher, or catcher can signal a challenge by tapping their helmet or cap. They have just two seconds to do it - no help from the dugout! If the team wins the challenge, they keep it for later. -apnews.com

Will this slow the game?

Cameras like those in tennis track the ball's path super fast. They show a picture on the big screen of where the pitch went and draw the strike zone just for that batter's height. The whole check takes about 17 seconds, so games won't slow down much. In extra innings, teams get one more challenge each if they run out.

This will not alter games in terms of the way the outcome "should have been", since there is no gray area in the strike zone - it's not matter of opinion. The pitch is either a ball or a strike - you're either out or safe, so to speak.

ABS not new

This idea isn't new. Baseball tested ABS in the minor leagues since 2019, in spring training this year, and even at the 2025 All-Star Game. There, four out of five challenges were right! Fans loved it - 72% said it made games better.

60% of ejections are due to disagreements over ball and strike calls

Why change? Arguments over balls and strikes cause over 60% of ejections, when players or coaches get kicked out. Robots could stop that drama and keep the fun going. Umpires still run the show, but now they have high-tech backup.