Yankees manager Aaron Boone takes issue with automated ball/strike challenge system: 'I do not like this'

TAMPA, Fla. – Aaron Boone is not a fan of Major League Baseball’s automated ball/strike challenge system.

“I do not like this,” the Yankees manager said on Tuesday after a game that was littered with multiple challenges under the system, which is called ABS.

MLB is testing ABS at 13 spring training stadiums in Florida and Arizona for possible implementation in the regular season in 2026. For better or worse, Steinbrenner Field is one of the 13 stadiums.

On Tuesday, the Yankees benefited from some of the overturned ball/strike calls and were hurt by others. Each team in spring training gets two challenges per game. If the challenge is successful, the team keeps the challenge. If not, the challenge is lost. Only a pitcher, catcher and batter can challenge a ball/strike call.

So in theory, as long as the challenges are successful, they can be made all game long, on every single pitch.

It seemed as if they were on Tuesday.

“Maybe it served us well today, right? We had a lot of overturns,” Boone said. “I’m not on it, though. I think having a couple of them in the game, I think, is not good. Like let's cut it down to one or something . . . You see all these challenges today. Just frivolous. I don’t know. I’ll put my soapbox away.”

It’s not the first time Boone has spoken out against ABS in spring training. But he knows if it’s something MLB wants to happen in 2026, no amount of griping will stop it from becoming a new feature in every big-league ballpark.

It’s not a pace-of-game issue. The challenge – which is made by a player tapping the top of his cap or batting helmet – must be made almost instantaneously, and the verdict is rendered within seconds.

A graphic representation of where the ball landed in relation to the strike zone is shown on the centerfield scoreboard, which fans in the ballpark on Tuesday seemed to enjoy. It’s similar to the in/out line system used in professional tennis, which makes sense since it’s using the same Hawk-Eye technology.

The system is currently in use in some minor leagues. So young players are familiar with it. Longtime big-leaguers are not.

“My first outing of spring training, the very first pitch I threw was challenged,” said reliever Luke Weaver. “The third pitch was challenged. And then the next at-bat, the first pitch to the next hitter was challenged. So I had three challenges in about six pitches. Didn’t win any of them.”

Weaver said all three challenges were made by the hitter. So he had three strikes called by the plate umpire changed to balls by ABS.

“They were all pretty close,” Weaver said. “It’s an adjustment. It’s something that we’ll adapt to. There’s going to be positives and negatives to both sides. I would say right now I’m indifferent.”

Weaver might not be indifferent if he’s pitching in a tight spot next season and the plate umpire calls strike three – only to have it overturned by ABS and for the at-bat to continue.

That happened the Yankees reliever Geoff Hartlieb on Tuesday. He allowed a two-out homer to Boston’s Masataka Yoshida that wouldn’t have occurred except for a successful challenge by Kristian Campbell, who turned a called strike three into a ball and ended up walking.

“I mean, ABS there,” Boone said. “As a pitcher, I would think you're kind of, ‘Boom, big pitch out of the inning. Walk off. Oh, challenge. Overturned.’ It's just a weird reset.”

Notes & quotes: Carlos Carrasco made a strong statement in his bid for a rotation spot with five scoreless innings Wednesday night against Atlanta. The former Mets righthander, who has an opt-out in his minor-league contract on Saturday if the Yankees don’t add him the roster, has a 1.69 spring training ERA . . . Marcus Stroman threw three shutout innings in the Yankees’ 9-7 victory over the Phillies in Clearwater. In that game, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ben Rice, Cody Bellinger and Pablo Reyes homered for the Yankees. Reyes, an infielder/outfielder who appeared in one game for the Mets last season, is batting .324. The 31-year-old is making a bid for a bench spot as the Yankees have a dearth of righthanded-hitting reserves.

By Anthony Rieber

anthony.rieber@newsday.comAnthonyRieber

Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.