MLB restricts dugout iPads to curb AI-assisted strategy help

Major League Baseball tightened dugout iPad rules before teams returned from the All-Star break, trying to stop AI-assisted live recommendations from slipping into in-game strategy. Adam Ottavino said the Mets were involved, and the review tied the issue to as many as one-third of clubs using custom apps for live recommendations, with no clubs punished.

The league picked iPads as the enforcement point because they are already built into the sport’s daily workflow. MLB and Apple announced in March 2016 that iPad Pro tablets would go into all 30 Major League dugouts and bullpens with MLB Dugout, a custom advance scouting and video analysis app. MLB said at the time that it was the first-ever on-field integration of iPad Pro in dugouts, turning the devices into standard equipment for lineup preparation, pitching matchups and defensive positioning.

MLB also drew a bright line around what those tablets could show in real time. The league later allowed in-game video on player iPads after at-bats, but it said the footage would be edited to remove catcher signals. That decision made the difference clear: video review and scouting were allowed, but anything that could help decode signs or feed live tactical advice was off limits.

The new restriction reflects what AI changes inside a dugout. A tablet can process matchups, pitch sequencing, defensive shifts and in-game trends faster than a human coach can sort through them, which raises the risk that a legal analytics tool becomes a live recommendation engine. MLB had made custom tabs available on the tablets, but teams could also access other programs through them, creating the kind of technological gap the league now wants to close.

Examples from the reporting showed how normal tablet use could drift into that gray area. Jose Siri was seen with assistant hitting coach Jobel Jiménez in the Los Angeles Angels dugout, and Michael Lorenzen was seen with catcher Brett Sullivan and pitching coach Alon Leichman for the Colorado Rockies. The details underscored that the concern was not hypothetical or limited to one club.

The move also fit into a longer fight over technology and fairness. In 2024, MLB took away the strike-zone box on player iPads, the Major League Baseball Players Association filed a grievance, and the box returned with restrictions. After years of policing video, signs and data access, MLB is again trying to keep the line between preparation and competitive advantage from moving in real time.