The 2026 Major League Baseball (MLB) season is almost here, and like many professional sports leagues, a new campaign often brings adjustments aimed at improving the game and clarifying on-field behaviour.
As fans gear up for the new season, which you can watch live on SPOTV NOW, here are some of the notable rule updates.
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1) Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system
Starting from the 2026 season, MLB is introducing this new system, which uses pitch-tracking technology to review ball-and-strike calls made by the home-plate umpire.
Each team will be given two challenges during a game, with additional challenges available in extra innings if none remain. Once a challenge is triggered, a replay graphic will display the pitch’s trajectory relative to the strike zone. If the ABS system shows the umpire’s call was incorrect, the decision is overturned. If the call stands, the team loses one of its challenges.
The system aims to address controversial calls such as those during the 2018 American League Championship Series between the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox, when home-plate umpire Angel Hernandez drew heavy criticism for multiple missed ball-and-strike decisions.
2) Coaches must stay inside the coach’s boxes
First- and third-base coaches are required to remain inside designated areas known as the coach’s boxes during play. In the past, however, some coaches stepped outside the marked area to gain a better view of opposing signals.
Last season, Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson notably confronted and accused Boston Red Sox first-base coach Jose Flores of stealing signs during a game.
Coaches and players chirping before the game. Everything is going great at Fenway. pic.twitter.com/TAMQZUvjYC
— Section 10 Podcast (@Section10Pod) June 4, 2025
To help address the issue, beginning in 2026, MLB is enforcing this positioning rule more strictly. Under the updated emphasis, coaches must remain inside the box while the pitcher prepares to deliver the ball. Umpires may issue warnings if a coach repeatedly steps outside the area, and continued violations could lead to removal from the game.
3) Runners cannot force obstruction calls
Obstruction typically occurs when a defensive player impedes a runner’s progress without possession of the ball or while not actively fielding it. One of the most famous examples occurred in Game 3 of the 2013 World Series, when St. Louis Cardinals runner Allen Craig tripped over Boston Red Sox third baseman Will Middlebrooks near home plate. Umpires ruled obstruction and awarded Craig home plate, giving the Cardinals a walk-off victory.
However, there have also been instances where runners appear to initiate contact deliberately in an attempt to draw an obstruction call. Under the updated guidance, runners cannot intentionally create such contact to gain an advantage. If umpires determine the runner initiated the collision deliberately, the runner may be ruled out and other runners returned to the base they last occupied.
