Salt Lake Bees games bring a new twist: a checked swing challenge system
May 6, 2026, 12:45 PM | Updated: May 7, 2026, 10:36 am
DENVER, CO - SEPTEMBER 12: Kris Bryant #23 of the Colorado Rockies hits a 2-run single on a checked swing in the fourth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Coors Field on September 12, 2023 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
SOUTH JORDAN, Utah – Salt Lake Bees fans will get their first look at a new checked swing challenge system when the club returns home to host the El Paso Chihuahuas (San Diego Padres) at The Ballpark on Tuesday, May 12.
Pacific Coast League teams began piloting the system May 5, 2026, as MLB tests a way to clarify one of baseball’s most subjective calls. The review process is modeled after the automated ball-strike (ABS) challenge, but instead of tracking pitches, it’s designed to determine whether a halted swing should be ruled a strike.
What Bees fans will see is a new on-screen standard.
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Jackson Strong with the first challenge of a checked swing call this season. @ZachSurdenik explains. pic.twitter.com/W5awWoEAge
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) May 21, 2025
The Associated Press obtained a memo from MLB vice president of on-field strategy Joe Martinez outlining how the system will judge a half swing: “A swing will be considered to have occurred if the maximum angle between the bat head and the bat handle exceeds 45 degrees,” the memo says.
In the International League, MLB has instructed umpires to use a 45-degree visual cutoff, but the league will not allow challenges.
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Why is a checked swing challenge system necessary?
It’s a familiar scene at The Ballpark: a hitter tries to stop mid-swing, the pitch is called a ball, and the catcher immediately asks for an appeal to a base umpire. One crew calls it a swing; another sees it as a check.
Until now, that ‘did he swing?’ decision has been almost entirely judgment-based, with no single definition spelled out in the rulebook.
The official rules of baseball state only: “A strike is a legal pitch when so called by the umpire, which is struck at by the batter and is missed.”
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Happy check-swing challenge day to those who celebrate. Beginning today in the PCL, teams can challenge swings or no-swings. They’ll be lumped into the standard two challenges per game per team along with ball-strike challenges.
(cc: @jaysonst & @jjcoop36) pic.twitter.com/7bJHlkPu29
— Alex Freedman (@azfreedman) May 5, 2026
The rule allows an appeal on a half swing, but it does not define what constitutes a swing—leaving the call to umpire judgment.
Early testing last season in the Single-A Florida State League and Arizona Fall League showed strikeout rates dipping by about 3 percent, suggesting a measurable change in how borderline swings are called.
Now the question is whether the challenge process can work smoothly in busier Triple-A environments, including in South Jordan, without slowing pace of play.
How will it work at The Ballpark?
Like the ABS system now in use across MLB, checked-swing challenges can be initiated by a pitcher, batter, or catcher.
For spectators, the biggest change is visual: on a challenged check swing, the video board will show a 45-degree reference line to indicate whether the bat crossed the swing threshold.
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After the home plate umpire calls the pitch a ball, the defense can request an appeal to the base umpire as usual. If a team still disagrees, the pitcher, batter, or catcher can initiate a challenge, and the video board will show whether the bat exceeded the 45-degree threshold.
The entire system is designed to take only seconds, minimizing disruption to the game.
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The Salt Lake Bees begin a six-game series against the El Paso Chihuahuas on Tuesday, May 12. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. MT.
Find KSL Sports coverage of Locals in MLB here.
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Brian Preece is a sports.ksl.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24.
