New ABS System Should Help Yankees, With One Exception

On the other hand, Austin Wells — the Yankees' 2025 Opening Day catcher — had a strong start to this season, but ultimately fell short of expectations at the plate and was occasionally replaced by Ben Rice, the Yankees' breakout sophomore utility man. Wells' strongest quality is his ability to frame pitches, at which he is among the best in the league with 11 catcher framing runs in 2025. With Wells' underwhelming offensive performance, and the emergence of ABS, he may be in some hot water in 2026.

It's still unclear how pitch framing will be affected by the introduction of the new system at this level of course, but as umpires cease to be the absolute end-all-be-all of ball-strike rulings, catchers like Wells may see their ability to create a visual effect diminish even slightly in value. All the same, if he can improve offensively, Wells may not be in the danger we're imagining. His skillset will likely not become obsolete right away, as ABS challenges are still inevitably based on what human beings do — and don't — see.

ABS is Not That New

The ABS System's implementation has been in progress for years. It was first introduced in the minors in 2022, when five stadiums implemented the change, and has been present in all Triple-A stadiums since 2023. It was also used in MLB Spring Training in 2025, as well as the 2025 MLB All Star Game before the announcement of its full roll-out for 2026.

While the move will not eliminate human umpires from the game, it will allow teams to challenge calls twice per game. If a challenge is ruled in the team's favor, the team retains the challenge. Because human umpires are under so much scrutiny for bad calls (despite their remarkable accuracy), this move is likely to increase fairness for players and the perception of fairness for fans.

Policing Yankee Hitters Under New Rules

Under the new system, hitters can call the challenges as well as pitchers and catchers, in addition (of course) to the team's leadership. Yankees manager Aaron Boone shared that he is ready to have some hard conversations with certain players about protesting too much, and how shaming might be crucial to keeping that under control.

"There'll be some guys that I will be strategic in pre-shaming, having some conversations in front of people," Boone said in September. "Look, [...] we laugh, but it is an important part of this, is how to do it. What are the rules in a particular inning, in a particular at bat, in particular counts and things like that. Making sure you are as buttoned up as you can be so you're making good choices along the way."

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