MLB Finalizes Rule Changes for 2022 Regular Season & Beyond
It was a rough winter for baseball funs with the constant back and forth between MLB and the MLBPA over a new CBA. They of course got a deal done, but it took a while for them to see eye-to-eye. The two sides were much quicker to reach a consensus this week on rule changes that will go into effect for the 2022 season.
The New York Post's Joel Sherman outlined some of the temporary changes the league will be employing to account for the truncated spring training.
Increased Roster Size
Until May 1st, rosters will be increased from 26 players to 28. One would assume this is mainly to allow teams to stock a couple extra arms considering that some starters may not be fully stretched out the first few weeks of the season.
Ghost Runners
The rule that people love to hate is back! In extra innings, teams will place a runner on second at the beginning of each half inning. The idea being that having a "ghost runner" should cut down on lengthy extra inning games. In theory.
Doubleheaders
Purists that loathe the ghost runner can take solace in the fact that MLB will be going back to full nine-inning doubleheaders - unlike the seven innings format the league employed during the 2020 season.
Starting Pitcher - DH Rule
Otherwise known as the Shohei Ohtani Rule. Now that there's a universal DH, the league had to make an adjustment to not adversely affect one of the best players in baseball and the 2021 AL MVP. Throughout the current CBA, starting pitchers who are included in the batting order can remain in the order even once they're done pitching.
