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Major League Baseball now has two different challenge systems, so the answer depends on what type of call is being challenged.
For most regular-season games:
- Each team starts with one manager replay challenge for reviewable plays such as tag plays, force plays, catches, and certain boundary calls.
- Each team also starts with two ABS challenges for disputed ball-and-strike calls.
These challenges are separate. Using an ABS challenge does not use a manager replay challenge, and vice versa.
Successful challenges are generally retained under both systems.
That means the old answer — “each MLB team gets one challenge per game” — is no longer complete in 2026.
MLB Has Two Types of Challenges
The easiest way to understand the current system is to separate the two.
| Manager Replay Challenge | ABS Challenge | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting challenges | 1 in most games | 2 |
| Who initiates it? | Manager | Batter, pitcher or catcher |
| Main purpose | Review plays on the field | Review ball-strike calls |
| Successful challenge retained? | Yes | Yes |
| Technology | Video replay | Hawk-Eye pitch tracking |
| Used for balls and strikes? | No | Yes |
Manager replay has existed in its expanded form since 2014.
The Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System joined MLB in 2026 after years of testing in the Minor Leagues and during 2025 MLB Spring Training.
How Many Manager Challenges Does an MLB Team Get?
In most MLB games, each club starts with one manager challenge.
If the replay official overturns at least one challenged call, the club retains its challenge.
If no challenged call is overturned, the club loses it.
Therefore, a manager is not necessarily limited to one replay challenge during the entire game. A manager who continues to challenge successfully can continue retaining the challenge.
There is an exception for the All-Star Game and postseason, where each club starts with two manager challenges.
How Many ABS Challenges Does an MLB Team Get?
Each team starts a game with two ABS challenges.
These are specifically for ball-and-strike calls.
Only the following players can initiate one:
- Batter
- Pitcher
- Catcher
Managers and coaches cannot initiate an ABS challenge.
The challenge must normally be requested immediately after the pitch. If the challenge is successful, the team keeps it. If the challenge is unsuccessful, the team loses one.
If a team enters an extra inning without any ABS challenges remaining, it receives one challenge for that inning.
Manager Challenge vs. ABS Challenge: An Example
Imagine this sequence in a 2026 MLB game.
A runner attempts to steal second base and is called out.
The manager believes the runner was safe and uses a manager replay challenge.
Later, the home-plate umpire calls strike three on a borderline pitch.
The batter believes the pitch was outside the automated strike zone and uses an ABS challenge.
These are completely separate reviews.
The first uses video replay to review the play at second base.
The second uses Hawk-Eye pitch tracking to determine whether the ball touched the automated strike zone.
This distinction is why asking “How many challenges does an MLB team get?” no longer has a single-number answer.
How Does a Manager Make a Replay Challenge?
After a potentially reviewable play, the manager must immediately signal that he is considering a challenge.
Once the manager alerts the umpire, a 15-second timer begins.
The manager must decide whether to challenge before the timer expires.
The review itself is handled by MLB’s Replay Command Center in New York, where replay officials examine the available video and determine whether the call should be changed.
The result can be:
- Confirmed — evidence supports the original call.
- Stands — there is not enough evidence to overturn it.
- Overturned — replay evidence shows the original call was incorrect.
If a challenged call is overturned, the club retains its manager challenge.
What Can Be Reviewed With a Manager Challenge?
MLB replay rules allow many types of plays to be reviewed.
Examples include certain:
- Tag plays
- Force plays
- Catch/no-catch decisions
- Fair/foul decisions in applicable situations
- Hit-by-pitch calls
- Boundary calls
- Tag-up plays
- Runner placement and base-touching situations
- Interference situations covered by replay rules
Not every umpire decision is reviewable through the manager challenge system.
Most importantly, balls and strikes are not reviewed through a manager replay challenge.
Those calls now have their own separate ABS system.
Can the Crew Chief Order a Replay Without a Manager Challenge?
Yes.
Crew-chief reviews remain part of MLB’s replay system.
A crew chief may initiate review of a potential home-run call at any time without requiring a manager challenge.
Beginning in the eighth inning, the crew chief can also initiate review of reviewable calls, including following a request from a manager who has no manager challenges remaining.
This is why you may occasionally see a replay even after a team has already lost its manager challenge.
Technically, the manager is not using another challenge. The review is being initiated by the umpiring crew.
How Do ABS Challenges Work?
ABS challenges work differently from video replay.
If the pitcher, catcher or batter disagrees with a ball-strike call, the player must immediately signal a challenge by tapping the cap or helmet and vocalizing the request.
Hawk-Eye technology then compares the pitch location with the batter’s automated strike zone.
The result is displayed in the stadium and on the broadcast.
MLB’s 2026 ABS system uses 12 Hawk-Eye cameras around the field to track pitches. The process takes approximately 15 seconds.
Unlike a manager replay challenge, the manager cannot decide whether to use an ABS challenge.
That decision belongs to the batter, pitcher or catcher.
Are There Times When an ABS Challenge Is Not Allowed?
Yes.
For example, MLB does not permit ABS challenges when a position player is pitching.
ABS challenges are also not permitted after a replay review, preventing a chain of consecutive reviews.
MLB can also deny an ABS challenge if the umpire determines that the player received assistance from the dugout, another defender or another runner before requesting it.
These restrictions reinforce one of the main ideas behind ABS: the player involved must make the decision almost immediately.
How Often Are ABS Challenges Successful?
We now have actual 2026 MLB data rather than only Minor League experiments.
Baseball Savant’s 2026 ABS dashboard currently reports roughly 53% of challenges resulting in overturned calls, with more than 1,900 attempts recorded in the dataset displayed by MLB.
That means players are getting slightly more than half of their challenges right.
It also demonstrates why successful challenges are retained: good strike-zone recognition can become part of game strategy.
Because the 2026 season is still ongoing, these figures should be treated as season-to-date data, not final full-season totals.
When Did MLB Start Using Replay Challenges?
MLB first introduced replay review for disputed home-run calls in 2008.
At that point, managers did not have the modern challenge system.
MLB significantly expanded replay beginning with the 2014 season, allowing managers to challenge a much wider range of calls.
The system changed again in 2015 so that managers could retain their challenge after successful reviews, and the list of reviewable plays continued to evolve.
The next major change arrived in 2026, when MLB introduced ABS challenges for balls and strikes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many challenges does an MLB team get?
In most games, a team starts with one manager replay challenge and two ABS challenges.
They are separate systems.
Do MLB teams get their challenge back if they are right?
Yes. Successful manager replay challenges are retained, and successful ABS challenges are also retained.
How many challenges are allowed in the MLB postseason?
Each club starts postseason games with two manager replay challenges. The ABS Challenge System is also used in postseason games.
Can an MLB manager challenge a ball or strike?
No.
A manager cannot use a manager replay challenge on a ball-strike call.
However, beginning in 2026, a batter, pitcher or catcher can challenge a ball-strike call through ABS.
Can a team challenge indefinitely?
Potentially, a team can make more challenges than its starting allocation if it keeps challenging successfully, because successful challenges are retained.
Who decides an MLB replay challenge?
Replay officials at MLB’s Replay Command Center in New York review manager challenges and make the replay ruling.
Final Answer
So, how many challenges are there in MLB?
For a normal 2026 game, the simplest answer is:
One manager replay challenge + two ABS ball-strike challenges per team to start the game.
But those numbers are starting allocations, not necessarily maximums. Successful challenges are retained.
The key is not to confuse the two systems.
Manager replay challenges review eligible plays on the field.
ABS challenges review balls and strikes.
That distinction is now essential for understanding MLB’s challenge rules in 2026.
See Also:
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Do MLB Umpires Pay for Travel? Read This First!
How Many Outs are in an Inning in Baseball?
How Many Countries Play Baseball?
How Many Baseballs are Used in a Game?: An Inside Look