The MLB banned players from seeing the “Strike Zone Box” in the dugout. Now it’s back

Over the winter, Major League Baseball quietly changed the in-game video feeds that players can legally watch in their dugouts. The “strike zone box” – a sketch of the strike zone familiar to fans from various television broadcasts – was removed at the request of umpires, according to memos The athlete.

“This was done in direct response to a perceived increase in instances of players and other on-field personnel using the dugout tablets – particularly the strike zone graphic feed – to discuss balls and strikes and, in some cases, to berate, bully and embarrass major league umpires,” said a memo the league and union jointly sent to teams on Tuesday.

However, the Major League Baseball Players Association called the change a violation of the league’s collective bargaining agreement. Now the zone is being reinstated as a result of a settlement to a grievance filed by the MLBPA.

There is a catch, however: Players who use a dugout tablet to “embarrass, disparage or call into question the impartiality or abilities of a referee” will face increased penalties going forward. Players can still be ejected and can now be fined between $2,500 and $7,500 for a first offense, followed by progressive disciplinary measures. Previously, players were fined, but the amounts were never specific and always lower.

All teams must regain access to the strike zone on their dugout tablets no later than Friday. Players will be able to review at-bats after a half-inning, with the same delay as before.

“MLB did not communicate to the MLBPA the umpires’ request or its plans to remove the strike zone box from the tablets. We learned of the box’s removal based on reports from players,” the MLBPA wrote in a second memo distributed to its members. “MLB’s unilateral removal of the strike zone box violated an agreement we negotiated during the 2021-22 CBA negotiations. That agreement requires MLB to ‘continue to provide access to video of each pitch from a center field angle of the broadcast feed’ for the duration of the current CBA (i.e., through the end of the 2026 season).”

MLB and MLBPA declined to comment.

An arbitrator was scheduled to hold a hearing on the matter on June 24. According to a memo from the MLBPA to its members, after initial attempts to reach an agreement failed, talks “resumed and a resolution was reached after MLB conceded to the MLBPA’s position on several outstanding issues.”

The joint memo added in bold letters that the league and union “wanted to emphasize that players must use the tablets in the locker rooms and any video feeds provided solely for their intended purpose: to support players’ performance on the field.”

(Photo: Michael Zagaris / Oakland Athletics / Getty Images)