What to know about MLB’s ABS robot umpire strike zone system
MLB launches ABS challenge system as players test robot umpire calls in a groundbreaking season.
Editor’s note: Read MLB insider Bob Nightengale’s full Sunday column here
As MLB continues to adjust to an ABS landscape, its umpiring ranks will be a little thinner after this season.
According to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale, seven MLB umpires have informed the league they will be accepting a buyout offer and retiring after the 2026 season. Among them are CB Bucknor and Laz Diaz, alongside Brian O’Nora, Lance Barksdale, Marvin Hudson, Tony Randazzo and Andy Fletcher.
It will cap off a 30-year career for Bucknor, who started by working in the National League in 1996 and has worked both the AL and NL since 2000. Diaz has been umpiring since 1999 when he stared in the American League and has worked both leagues since 2000.
The latter had a fun moment with ABS earlier in the year, when Royals catcher Salvador Perez successfully challenged two calls in a row and Diaz good-naturedly stared him down following the next ball call, which well outside the zone.
As noted by Nightengale, this small exodus of umpires may open the door for Jen Pawol as the first woman to be a full-time MLB umpire. Pawol has previously umpired games at the pro level.
