Major League Baseball issued a June 11 memo restricting how teams use MLB AI dugout iPads during games, prohibiting custom third-party apps and curbing live video access. The measures, implemented after the All-Star break, aim to limit automated input into in-game decisions and preserve coach-and-player decision-making, the commissioner’s office told Fox News Digital.
MLB AI dugout iPads: what changed
The June 11 memo removed a previously available custom tab on MLB-issued iPads that teams had used to load team-created or third-party apps. League officials said the third custom tab is now prohibited and that live-game feeds formerly available in real time on the devices must be shown only on a delay during games.
The guidance was posted to clubs and was set to take full effect after the All-Star break to give teams time to adjust their operations and software configurations, according to the memo obtained by Fox News Digital.
Exact limits teams must follow
The memo and associated clubhouse directives list specific operational limits teams must follow during games. The key points the league ordered include:
- The third custom tab on MLB-issued iPads is prohibited going forward; teams may not install or run team-created or third-party apps there during games.
- Live video previously accessible in real time on the iPads is to be displayed only on delay during games, reducing the immediacy of processed information available in the dugout.
- Clubhouse rules were posted restricting non-field personnel from entering the dugout during games and limiting who may access the device in game windows.
MLB framed the measures as operational controls intended to limit the real-time flow of processed information that could influence on-field calls while preserving standardized league data for non-live review.
Why MLB acted now
The commissioner’s office said its review found teams had expanded the devices’ use beyond their original purpose to include recommendations on substitutions, pitch calling and other in-game decisions. That expansion — and the potential for automated or semi-automated suggestions to affect live choices — was the central concern the memo cited, according to Fox News Digital.
The Athletic reported that roughly one-third of clubs had configured the devices to run functions beyond league-provided tabs. The Athletic also quoted a front office executive who said, “Gotta stop the cheating before there’s cheating now,” a comment presented as an allegation and attributed to The Athletic’s reporting. MLB’s review, league officials said, found no evidence of sign-stealing or electronic-device rule violations.
What teams can and cannot use now
The memo preserves league-provided tools and data while closing the route teams used to add custom software. Teams will continue to receive Statcast metrics and automated ball-strike (ABS) information on the iPads in the designated league tabs, the league said.
What is no longer permitted is installing and running third-party or team-specific apps in the removed custom tab during live games to produce recommendations or automated decision-making. That means coaches and players retain responsibility for in-game strategy; standardized Statcast and ABS data remain available for analysis outside live decision windows and in the approved device tabs.
League findings and next steps
MLB reported its review found no signs that teams broke sign-stealing or electronic-device rules, but it concluded that clearer limits were needed to prevent automated tools from shaping live play. The Athletic’s reporting on the extent of device use across clubs helped prompt scrutiny, the outlets said.
League officials told clubs they will monitor compliance and could issue further guidance or enforcement measures if teams try to recreate prohibited functions through other means. Clubs must update both technical configurations and clubhouse operations to match the posted rules and device restrictions.
Teams and front offices will likely seek clarity on enforcement protocols and what specific analyses are permissible during games. Observers should watch for follow-up memos from the commissioner’s office or software updates to the iPad system that formalize and enforce the new tab structure and live-video limitations.
Image usage
The article uses two images supplied in the league image plan. The first image, placed after the lead, is captioned “MLB issued iPad in a dugout.” The second image, placed midstory, is captioned “Teams used league iPads for game info.” Both images illustrate league-issued devices and the dugout setting discussed in the memo and reporting.
Sources
This report is based on the commissioner’s office memo obtained by Fox News Digital and reporting from The Athletic. See original coverage from Fox News Digital and reporting from The Athletic for the memo text and wider team-by-team context.
