The New York Yankees believed they were ahead of the curve. Early in the season, when MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike system debuted, their hitters looked like they had it figured out. Through the first few games, they were winning challenges, controlling counts, and reinforcing the idea that this was a team built on elite strike-zone awareness.
Now, that confidence is starting to crack.
According to NJ.com’s Randy Miller, Yankees manager Aaron Boone is not pleased with how his players are handling ABS challenges, and it is becoming a real problem.
Yankees’ Early Confidence Has Flipped Fast
GettyThe jumbotron shows that the New York Yankees challenged a call against the San Francisco Giants in the first inning at Oracle Park on March 27, 2026 in San Francisco, California. Beginning with the 2026 MLB season, teams have two Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenges per game to overturn ball/strike calls, retaining them if successful (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
At one point, the Yankees were 7-for-10 on challenges and hitting .700 in those situations. It looked like a competitive advantage. The team leaned into preparation, reviewing video and going over scenarios throughout spring training, believing their hitters’ discipline would translate immediately.
Instead, the numbers have flipped in a way that is hard to ignore.
Since that hot start, Yankees hitters have lost 13 of their last 16 challenges. That drops them to just 10-for-23 on the season, a 44.5 percent success rate that ranks near the bottom of the league.
The issue is not just losing challenges. It is when they choose to use them.
In their recent loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, the Yankees burned through all of their challenges before the game even reached the fifth inning. Players like Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Jose Caballero challenged early-count strikes with nobody on base, low-leverage moments that offered little upside even if overturned.
Boone did not hold back when asked about it.
“Not very good ones,” he admitted.
That quote says everything.
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Poor Decision-Making is the Real Concern
GettyJazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees scores after Aaron Judge is hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the second inning against the Miami Marlins during the home opener at Yankee Stadium on April 03, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
Losing close challenges is one thing. Wasting them is another.
The Yankees have not just been unlucky. They have been careless.
Against the Athletics, they went 0-for-2 on challenges in a one-hit loss, again using them in situations that did not justify the risk. It is a pattern that is starting to form, and it goes directly against what the team preached coming into the season.
This is what makes Boone’s frustration understandable. The Yankees emphasized being “aggressive but smart” with ABS. Right now, they are only doing the first part.
There are bright spots. Aaron Judge is 2-for-2. Giancarlo Stanton is perfect as well. Trent Grisham has also been effective. But the rest of the roster has struggled badly, going 4-for-16.
That gap highlights a bigger issue. Not every hitter has the same feel for the strike zone under this system, and the Yankees are learning that in real time.
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A Fix is Coming, But Boone Wants Better Now
GettyAmed Rosario #14 of the New York Yankees celebrates with manager Aaron Boone #17 after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Washington Nationals during a Grapefruit League spring training game at George M. Steinbrenner Field on February 25, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images)
Players like Ben Rice have acknowledged the learning curve, pointing out that adjusting to ABS will take time. That is fair. This is new for everyone.
But Boone’s comments suggest this is not just about adjustment. It is about awareness.
He made it clear that being great at ABS is not about winning every challenge. It is about understanding volume, timing, and situation. Knowing when not to challenge might be just as important as knowing when to use one.
Right now, the Yankees are failing that test.
Boone believes the results will even out over time, especially with so many borderline calls involved. But that does not excuse the decision-making, and that is where the real frustration lies.
For a team with championship expectations, these details matter. And if the Yankees do not clean this up quickly, what once looked like an edge could turn into a self-inflicted weakness.
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