The New York Yankees are one win away from clinching their 2025 postseason spot. But before the matchup with the Chicago White Sox, questions were flying about 2026. Yankees manager Aaron Boone was asked about ABS, the automated balls and strikes system that will be in play in 2026. What strategy will he deploy when the head taps come in?

“There will be some guys that I will be strategic in pre-shaming, having some conversations in front of people,” Boone said when YES Network's Michael Kay asked if there was a player not allowed to use ABS. “We laugh, but that is an important part of this, is how to do it. What are the rules in a particular inning, a particular at-bat, particular counts, things like that?”

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Each team will be allowed only two unsuccessful challenges in a nine-inning game, so they are valuable. Burning one in the first inning could cost a valuable game in a playoff run. The Yankees were at the center of one of the loudest umpire conversations of the year in a September series against the Houston Astros. Boone knows which players he will trust and which he won't come ABS time.

ABS has been a mainstay in the minor leagues for years and was part of spring training in 2025. It was not met with rave reviews from everyone. Walker Buehler, who returned from a minor-league stint with nothing kind to say, for example. The Yankees will want to make the most of their challenges and not waste them with players who do not have a good grasp of the zone.

The Yankees can finish off their rollercoaster 2025 season with a playoff berth if they beat the White Sox on Tuesday. Luis Gil toes the slab in The Bronx as the Southsiders look to avoid a 100-loss season.