Astros' Taylor Trammell Faces No Discipline Despite Bat Being Ruled Illegal

The bat that Houston Astros outfielder Taylor Trammell was ruled to be illegal, but he faces no discipline.

Jul 11, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros center fielder Taylor Trammell (26) reacts after striking out during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Daikin Park | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

In the finale between the Houston Astros and New York Yankees, there was a strange scene on the field when Aaron Boone left the dugout and spoke to the umpires about a bat that was just used.

Taylor Trammell -- who was standing on second base after hitting a double off the left field wall -- was left perplexed about what was taking place before his bat was handed to an authenticator so that it could be further evaluated by the league office.

Boone said they noticed something that was off with Trammell's bat, and they were in communication with the league about it. Someone in the office reportedly told them the bat looked "illegal," and that prompted the Yankees skipper to point it out to the umpires on the field.

MLB Determines That Taylor Trammell's Bat Was Illegal

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Now, a ruling has come from the league office about Trammell's bat, with The Athletic (subscription required) revealing that Major League Baseball has determined that it was in fact illegal.

"MLB's bat supplier regulations, shared with The Athletic, state that a two-color bat must be divided into two sections, each of one solid color. The dividing point between each of the color sections must start 18 inches from the knob end of the bat, or next to the 1-inch solid color ring, if applicable ... Trammell had discoloration on the barrel of his bat ...," they reported.

That discoloration is what caught the attention of New York in the first place, with Boone saying they saw it on video. The skipper also said he didn't "want to accuse" Trammell of doing anything illegal.

Why Taylor Trammell Didn't Face Discipline

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But despite the league ruling that Trammell's bat was illegal because of the discoloration, he won't face any discipline because they also determined that he didn't gain a competitive advantage from his bat looking like that.

"... the league office determined that Trammell's bat did not give him a competitive advantage, and the umpires treated the situation like 'an impermissible glove color or design and told the player that he was no longer permitted to use the bat,' according to a major-league source," The Athletic stated.

So, nothing will come from this besides Trammell losing one of his favorite bats, one that he has used during his time in the minors and one that he also uses during batting practice.