How the Reds Have Evolved Their ABS Strategy One Month Into the Season

The Reds have been successful, but have challenged way less than other teams.

Apr 25, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson (37) talks with pitcher Emilio Pagán (15) during a mound visit against the Detroit Tigers in the ninth inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Whether it was PJ Higgins challenging a pitch that was overturned and ended the game or whether it was Tyler Stephenson challenging a pitch against the Rockies that resulted in Reds fans getting free pizza, there is no denying ABS has been a great addition to Major League Baseball this season.

Early on in the season, the Reds really emphasized using their challenges in high-leverage situations. They wanted to avoid challenging in lower-leverage spots.

“We’re trying to stay away from first or second inning, 2-0 (count), nobody on,” Francona told Charlie Goldsmith of Charlie's Chalkboard back in Spring Training.

However, that strategy has changed in recent weeks.

“Early on, we were like, ‘Let’s save them late, save them late, we’ll need them late,” Friedl said. “A couple of weeks ago, in Minnesota, it turned into, ‘These are the times where if you know he calls these (pitches) out here, use them early. That will bring them back onto the plate. If he’s not seeing it or he thinks it’s a strike, and then you use a couple of ABS challenges and they see it’s an inch and a half off, that’ll bring (the strike zone) back in.’

Have the Reds been successful in challenging calls this year? It depends on how you look at it. Cincinnati's catchers have challenged just 21 calls all season long, which is the second fewest in the league. However, they're winning those challenges at a 71% clip, which is the second-best in baseball.

At the plate, the Reds are middle of the road. They've challenged 29 pitches, which is the 14th most. They've won 52% of those, which is 7th best.

One approach the Reds are taking now that they weren't at the beginning of the season is that they're willing to challenge pitches early in the game to show an umpire his zone is wrong.

“It’s challenging (the call) to show you’ve been wrong (with calling a strike or ball in that location),” Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said. “They can get a better feel of where they’re not calling it or not calling it.”

This is an interesting approach that I never thought about when ABS was introduced to the game. Regardless, it's good to see the Reds start to use their challenges more aggressively and not just wait until the end of games.

“It’s never going to be perfect,” Terry Francona said. “I get that. We want to use it to the best advantage we can.”

To read more about their stragey, you can read Goldsmith's full article here.