Padres' Manny Machado Makes Feelings Known About ABS Challenge System

Machado made his feelings very clear.

Feb 22, 2026; Peoria, Arizona, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado against the Los Angeles Dodgers during a spring training game at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Major League Baseball has implemented an Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System in 2026, allowing players to challenge balls and strikes calls for the first time in the sport's history.

The ABS Challenge System has been tested in the minor league since 2022, and is finally making its way to the MLB regular season. Major Leaguers had the opportunity to try it out during last year's spring training, and again this season ahead of Opening Day.

Only three players — the pitcher, catcher and batter — are allowed to challenge a call, and it must come immediately after the pitch without any assistance from the dugout. Each team gets two challenges, but a successful challenge is retained. Thus, players need to be sure about their challenge to not risk hurting their team later in the game.

Players have had mixed reviews regarding the change this spring. San Diego Padres superstar Manny Machado is among those that don't seem to be in favor of it.

“I don’t like it," Machado blatantly said earlier this spring before leaving for the World Baseball Classic.

"I won't be that guy," he added. "It's already too hard to hit."

Manager Craig Stammen, who's entering his first season as a manager at any level, is doing his best to learn the new system as quickly as possible to implement a strategy ahead of Opening Day.

“The one thing I’ve learned is that the strike zone is a little bit different,” Stammen said. “The top of the zone is definitely not as much there as it has been in the past. The bottom of the zone kind of seems to be the part that is sneaking up on everybody. Nobody is quite sure what that is.

"I also believe from my perspective that the catchers have a better feel than the hitters. So, we’re going to try to find the trends through spring training, then sit down and talk about it and then come up with our strategy before Opening Day.”

The ABS Challenge System will make its formal debut on MLB's Opening Night when the New York Yankees take on the San Francisco Giants on March 25 in the season opener on Netflix. The Padres' first regular season action with the new system will come on March 26, when they take on reigning back-to-back Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers.

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