In a move that has angered some management offices across the league, Major League Baseball has effectively banned the growing practice of using league-provided built-in iPads to access generative artificial intelligence that some teams had increasingly relied on to help shape in-game strategy.
According to a memo from the commissioner’s office obtained by The athleteTeams pushed the boundaries of technology use policies by “in many cases” installing custom apps that expanded the use of the iPads “beyond their original intended purpose and included recommendations on substitutions, pitch calling and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches.”
Up to a third of the league used the dugout iPads for at least one of those purposes, according to people with knowledge of the technology who spoke on condition of anonymity to candidly discuss the topic. The league memo was issued on June 11, giving teams more than a month to adjust before the ban went into effect on Wednesday, in time for the start of the second half of the season on Thursday.
The midseason policy change was met with frustration from some front office members tasked with innovation. “It caused quite a stir,” said a senior official at an MLB team’s research and development department. But even members of more data-friendly front offices say the trend has raised eyebrows in the industry because many decisions made by managers and coaches could be supported or potentially even replaced by technology, such as pitch calling or player substitutions.
MLB appeared to have similar concerns. The league’s review ultimately found that “all clubs complied with league rules regarding sign stealing and use of electronic devices,” according to the MLB memorandum. The tech ban was therefore not associated with a penalty.
However, the problem proved so urgent that the league had to take action mid-season to curb the growth of these apps.
One front office manager said, “Now the cheating has to stop before the cheating happens.”
MLB declined to comment but referred to the memo issued by the league’s executive vice president of baseball operations, Morgan Sword. The players’ union also declined to comment.
League-provided iPads were first introduced in dugouts across the league in 2016, but their use was more strictly regulated in 2021 after sign-stealing scandals rocked the sport.
“For the first time, we will allow players to view live in-game video during the game via an iPad in the dugout or bullpen,” former MLB manager Chris Marinak said in March 2021. “The iPads are issued and fully controlled by MLB, so players can only use the app we have installed on the device. They cannot access the Internet for browsing, social media or other functions. The iPads are fully locked and run with the software we install monitored.” there.”
In-game videos were and remain available, but only with a delay, usually only after an inning is completed. The rules posted in each clubhouse also prohibit off-field personnel from entering the dugout during the game in order to limit the input of live information into the iPads.
But over time, players and teams have pushed for some restrictions around iPads to be relaxed. Coaches and players wanted the ability to customize what the tablets could do for them, and the league allowed that freedom.
Earlier this season, league-issued iPads allowed data to be accessed through three tabs, according to a person with knowledge of the system who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak candidly. The first included all MLB-provided Statcast data and multiple video angles. The second tab contained all the data about the Automated Ball-Strike System (ABS). The third tab — known around the league as a “custom tab” — contained each team’s specific data, similar to the information found in old-fashioned, paper-filled folders. Examples include matchup information, defensive positioning, and player tendencies deemed necessary by teams.
Going forward, teams can continue to upload static information, i.e. data that would be available before the first pitch. However, clubs have been told that anything uploaded will ultimately be subject to MLB review.
Pitch calling from the dugout could be at the heart of this battle and is one of the uses the league appears to be targeting.
The athlete surveyed several players, general managers, coaches, research and development analysts and other front office executives with knowledge of dugout iPad use for their thoughts on the change. They were not authorized to speak publicly about the league’s reasons for the change or their own teams’ use of customizable apps. A consensus emerged: some teams are inputting information from the game in progress to improve the generative AI models’ ability to anticipate the next throw or recommend what should be thrown.
Jack Lambert, director of baseball operations at Driveline Baseball, an independent player development company, said he believes pitch calling is a logical way for teams to utilize the technology.
“With someone scoring the game live, teams can graph the type and location of the field to provide dynamically updated game plans,” Lambert said. “These plans could determine whether their approach at the plate should change when facing the lineup a second (or) third time in the game and could also be applied to live pitch calling.”
While it’s not known exactly how many teams have used league-provided iPads to call pitches, the practice of calling pitches from the dugout — rather than delegating that responsibility as usual — has become widespread. The Miami Marlins pioneered the trend of calling pitches from the dugout, and other teams later adopted it. Several people briefed on the lineup said up to six teams are currently making “pitch suggestions,” as some clubs call them, from the dugout.
It’s unclear exactly how many teams used the iPads with live game information, as teams are reluctant to talk about their innovations and thereby lose any edge they could have. But the league’s efforts to change what is displayed on the tablets suggests the league was concerned.
Now teams appear to have to revert to the old-fashioned way of putting out numbers before the game. At least for now, fans will have to continue blaming human managers for strategic mistakes.
— The athleteEvan Drellich, Brittany Ghiroli and Jayson Stark contributed to this report.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7448900/2026/07/16/mlb-bans-ai-dugout-ipads/
