Phillies' Two-Time All-Star Takes Strong Stance On Upcoming MLB Rule Change

Walker Buehler is not an ABS stan...

Aug 13, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Walker Buehler (0) pitches against the Houston Astros in the first inning at Daikin Park. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Automated ball-strike calls are almost certainly coming to Major League Baseball, and all players, pitchers in particular, will have major adjustments to make.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told The Athletic in June that he plans to propose the ABS system to be implemented for the 2026 season to the league's competition committee, which is a mere formality as long as Manfred doesn't change his mind.

ABS already exists in Triple-A, though, which has given many current big-leaguers a chance to experience their future either on rehab stints or before their debuts. And one two-time All-Star just revealed he's not a particularly big fan of the system.

Walker Buehler not a fan of ABS

Aug 8, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Walker Buehler (0) delivers during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images

Walker Buehler arrived in the Philadelphia Phillies organization on Aug. 31, the day before rosters locked for postseason eligibility, after being released two days earlier by the Boston Red Sox. The Phillies sent him to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make a tune-up start in anticipation of his Friday start against the Kansas City Royals.

Upon arriving to Citizens Bank Park before Thursday's game, Buehler was asked about his experiences with the ABS system, and he made it abundantly clear that he's not a fan.

"I think it's inaccurate," Buehler said, per Tim Kelly of On Pattison. "I think most of the stadiums, it's not actually even on the plate. I think it shifts certain directions in certain ballparks. I think the human element is a huge part of this game.

"I think starting pitchers that have pitched for a long time deserve certain parts of the plate that other guys don't get. When I got to the big leagues, I didn't get every part of the zone that other guys did, and I think that's part of of our game that should be."

Ironically enough, Buehler was ejected from a start with the Red Sox earlier this season when he got into a heated spat with home plate umpire Mike Estabrook over a pitch that was called a ball, but would have certainly been ruled a strike if the hurler had been able to use an ABS-aided challenge.

With a 5.45 ERA in 112 1/3 innings so far this season, Buehler has work to do in order to make sure he earns a prominent enough role on a team's pitching staff next season to worry about how ABS will affect his game.

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