MLB Closes AI Loophole on Dugout iPads After Teams Exploit System for In-Game Decisions

The New York Mets were among several clubs discovered exploiting a regulatory gap involving artificial intelligence for real-time strategic decisions during the season’s first half, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Major League Baseball formally prohibited the practice effective Wednesday, implementing a crackdown initially communicated via a June 11 memo distributed to general managers, assistant general managers, and video coordinators. The directive, authored by MLB Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations Morgan Sword, was not enforced until the day before the second half commenced following the All-Star break, granting teams a window to adjust operations.

As initially reported by The Athletic, the league determined that certain organizations had utilized league-issued iPads in the dugout “beyond their originally intended purpose to include recommendations regarding substitutions, pitch calling, and other in-game decisions traditionally made by players and coaches.”

The tablets, which remain permitted in dugouts, provide access to league-supplied Statcast data, multiple video angles, and information related to the automated ball-strike system. Video reviewed during games is available only on a delay.

The custom software tab that facilitated access to external analytical programs has been disabled. This change stands to affect clubs that had begun relaying pitch calls from the dugout, a trend that gained significant traction this season.

The prohibition will inevitably reverberate across the league as organizations have increasingly leaned on advanced analytics to inform every facet of gameplay.

MLB has authorized iPad use in dugouts for over a decade. The memo noted that a review conducted earlier this year found clubs “compliant” with regulations concerning sign stealing and electronic device usage; consequently, no penalties were assessed. Teams were essentially granted a month to cease using AI for in-game decision-making “to make any necessary adjustments.”

— Additional reporting by Joel Sherman

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