After a year of trying it out in the minor league, the MLB is bringing a major change to how its umpires officiate. This 2026 season, an automatic ball-strike system, or ABS, will be implemented. While there will still be a human umpire behind the plate, there will now be a way for players to call out what they perceive as mistakes by the umpires.

But how does the MLB's ABS Challenge System work? Well, ahead of Opening Day, WWE legend and future Hall of Famer John Cena sat down and explained the rules of the new ABS system to the fans.

Article Continues Below

The ABS Challenge System is another way for teams to challenge calls that they believe should be in their favor. There will still be a human umpire behind the plate, and he will call strikes and balls normally without any outside assistance. However, after every pitch, either the catcher, the batter, or the pitcher can call for a review of the last pitch thrown. This will trigger a review outside of the field of the call using MLB's automatic ball-strike system.

Just like the current challenge system for calls on the field, teams are awarded two challenges per game. If their challenge is successful and the call is overturned, they get to keep their challenge. However, if the call on the field stands, the team loses that challenge. It's going to be a welcome change for MLB fans as it rewards both a pitcher's ability to locate a pitch and the batter's ability to see the pitch coming.

There are some concerns from fans about the system, as is often the case with new rules. However, the MLB implemented it to great effect in the minor leagues last season. The MLB All-Star Game also featured the ABS Challenge system, with Detroit Tigers star Tarik Skubal successfully challenging a called ball once. It's a fast way to get the proper call and does not interfere too much with the flow of the game. We'll see how teams react to this change as the season goes on.