MLB Blocks Dugout iPad AI Apps After Mets Linked to $100,000s Strategy Software

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 17

Wednesday night, MLB disabled custom tabs on dugout iPads, cutting off software used for pitch calling, substitutions and other in-game decisions as the season's second half began.
A June 11 memo said teams had expanded the tablets beyond their intended video-and-data role; a competition committee review later found clubs compliant with the new restriction.
Adam Ottavino said the Mets were the main club behind the crackdown, alleging they used an AI program costing several hundred thousand dollars and that owner Steve Cohen funded it; the Mets declined comment.
Aaron Judge called teams making decisions off AI "crazy," while managers in Toronto and Arizona said real-time pitch-calling tools showed how quickly AI is entering baseball.
The move tightens a system MLB introduced in 2015-16, after earlier curbs on dugout video following the Astros sign-stealing scandal and amid wider league concern over technology replacing on-field judgment.

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ESPN6d ago

MLB Restricts Dugout iPad AI Use After Mets' Strategy Software Revealed

The New York Times7d ago

MLB Bans Generative AI Use on Dugout iPads for In-Game Strategy

Fox News7d ago

MLB Bans AI Tools on Dugout iPads for In-Game Strategy

7 Sources

As the NFL embraces sideline AI, is MLB's dugout ban protecting tradition or stifling the game's evolution?

Will MLB's AI ban truly preserve the game's human element, or just drive the technological arms race further underground?

MLB’s Immediate Ban on Generative AI in Dugouts: Impact, Rationale, and the Future of Technology in Baseball

Overview

Major League Baseball (MLB) has enacted an immediate ban on generative AI in dugouts, effective July 16, 2026, to address the growing influence of AI on gameplay and protect the integrity of the sport. The ban specifically targets AI models that process live, in-game data, which some teams used to anticipate pitches and make real-time strategic decisions. By strictly forbidding real-time AI-driven recommendations in the dugout, MLB aims to ensure that in-game choices remain the responsibility of human coaches and managers, preserving the traditional human element at the heart of baseball competition.

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