Yankees' Aaron Judge Leading the Way with ABS Practice

The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system is officially being integrated to every Major League Baseball game in 2026, and the New York Yankees are getting ready. Spearheading the effort is, unsurprisingly, captain Aaron Judge.

It wasn't always this way, though. Last year, Judge shared some reservations about the system, though he also acknowledged that it was going to be used whether he liked it or not.

"I love the human element of the game even though I may get some balls or strikes that are called a little bit more than other people," Judge said before the 2025 All-Star game, which also featured the ABS system. "I've just always loved the human element and the umpires."

Now that ABS has officially come to the Majors, Judge has embraced the system more, even if he was a bit trepidatious about it in the past and isn't used to focusing on where, exactly, the strike zone is during an AB.

“I think it’s going to be a little weird, because I’m not an umpire. I’m a hitter," he said, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I’ve never been in the box trying to think about, ‘Is this a ball? Is that a strike?’ If I feel like I can hit it, I feel like it’s a strike.”

Aaron Judge Training Hard With ABS, Encouraging Others

Judge's attitude towards the ABS system shows exactly why he's the Yankees' captain. As he pointed out, correcting a few missed calls could be the difference between a win and a loss. In a season like 2025, where the Yankees tied the Toronto Blue Jays for lead of the AL East in terms of record, one more win would make a huge difference.

“We’ve got to get a feel for it. We’ve got to use it,” Judge said. “This could be a tool that if we scratch out a couple of more wins because we got a couple of calls right, then hopefully that’ll help us not tie for the division.”

During Spring Training, the Yankees star has been "aggressive" using ABS, and encouraged teammates to do the same. To challenge a call, pitchers, batters or catchers can tap their helmets, and must do so without guidance from the dugout. Each team will have two challenges per game, which are retained if the challenge is successful. In a video posted to social media by Hoch, Judge successfully challenged a call on a pitch from relief pitcher Paul Blackburn.