The Cleveland Guardians are working through a starting rotation battle this Spring Training and are still sorting out the pecking order in a bullpen that is still feeling the loss of star closer Emmanuel Clase. Overall, the arms are shaping up well and these are minor issues surrounding what should be one of the league’s better pitching staffs.
One new tidbit this season is the league-wide addition of the ABS system that enables players to challenge balls and strikes. The new technology has received positive reviews thus far in Spring Training, but manager Stephen Vogt recently shared some insight into how his team will be relying on it.
During a recent appearance on Bonus Time with Bruce Drennan, Guardians SVP of Public Affairs Bob DiBiasio shared that Guardians pitchers won’t be challenging anything this season. As per Vogt’s request, only hitters will be able to do so.
“Stephen Vogt announced that our pitchers are not allowed to challenge,” said DiBiasio.
"Stephen Vogt announced that our pitchers are not allowed to challenge." ⚾@BDbaseball6 explains Vogt's philosophy on how the Cleveland Guardians are attacking ABS. 👀 pic.twitter.com/IKjnMPlsgF
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) March 12, 2026
DiBiasio said that Vogt announced this on the first day of Spring Training and added that Vogt joked that Tanner Bibee would use up all the challenges in the first inning. He didn’t expound on why exactly Vogt took this stance, but only time will tell whether or not it’s the right move or why Vogt made this call.
Perhaps Vogt just prefers to give the offense the benefit of having all the challenges. After all, the Guardians had one of the worst lineups in the league last season, so they might need more help from this new technology than the pitching staff would.
After winning Manager of the Year in his first two years at the helm, Vogt deserves the benefit of the doubt on this one until proven otherwise. The Guardians have done an excellent job developing their pitchers as well, so Vogt preventing them from challenging calls could be a sign of how much he believes in them to get the job done without any help.
NEXT: Analyst Ranks Guardians Outfielder Among MLB’s Best
