The 2025 MLB season kicked off with a spring training exhibition game featuring the Chicago Cubs and the Los Angeles Dodgers, marking the debut of the automated ball-strike (ABS) system. This innovative system, tested extensively in the minors, allows for challenges on pitches called by human umpires. A notable moment occurred when Cubs pitcher Cody Poteet successfully challenged a ball call against Dodgers' Max Muncy, demonstrating the system's potential impact on game strategies.

While this version of the ABS isn't fully automated—relying on human umpires for each pitch—the appeal process gives teams a limited number of challenges per game. If successful, this could lead to a more widespread use of the ABS system in the regular MLB season, with a potential rollout planned for all 30 teams in 2026. As the league evaluates this technology throughout spring training, fans and players alike await its influence on the game.