MLB restricts dugout iPad AI tools for in-game strategy decisions

Major League Baseball has moved quickly to put limits around artificial intelligence in the dugout, restricting league-issued iPads from running custom programs that can recommend strategy during games. The change began with the second half of the 2026 season, according to an Associated Press report based on a June 11 memo from MLB executive vice president of baseball operations Morgan Sword.

The tablets are not disappearing from benches. Teams can still use league-provided video and data tools, but the custom tab that let clubs reach other software has been made inaccessible. The point of the restriction is narrower: MLB wants to stop the devices from becoming live decision engines for substitutions, pitch calling and other calls traditionally made by players and coaches.

Why it matters

The decision is a small but telling example of how sports leagues are starting to treat generative AI and analytics systems as competitive infrastructure rather than just back-office software. Baseball has long embraced data, from scouting models to Statcast, yet MLB's in-game technology rules have also been shaped by past concerns over electronic sign stealing and the need to keep live strategy within agreed boundaries.

AP reported that MLB's competition committee reviewed club behavior and found teams were compliant with existing rules, so the change is not being framed as a punishment. Instead, the memo said the midseason prohibition was meant to give clubs that had relied on the custom tab time to adjust. That distinction matters: the league appears to be closing a loophole before AI-assisted recommendations become normalized in the middle of games.

• The restriction applies to custom iPad tabs used for other programs, not to all dugout tablet use.
• MLB's concern centers on real-time recommendations for decisions such as pitch selection and substitutions.
• The policy took effect as the second half of the season opened after the All-Star break.

The AP report also highlighted former Mets reliever Adam Ottavino's claim that the Mets had used an expensive AI program for pitch-picking and other decisions. The Mets did not comment to AP, and MLB's review did not find clubs in violation of the regulations. Still, player and manager reactions captured the broader unease: AI is entering live sports strategy, but leagues are deciding how much of that assistance belongs in the dugout while games are being played.

For technology companies, the episode is another reminder that AI adoption is increasingly running into domain-specific rules. A tool that looks like useful decision support in one setting can look like an integrity risk in another, especially when it operates in real time and influences competitive outcomes.

Sources

• apnews.com

Cover photo by Jakub Zerdzicki on Pexels, used under the Pexels License.