San Diego Padres superstar Manny Machado was firm in his stance about the ABS Challenge System early in spring training.
“I don’t like it,” Machado blatantly said earlier this spring before leaving for the World Baseball Classic.
“I won’t be that guy,” he said when asked if he would be challenging pitches this year. “It’s already too hard to hit.”
Machado’s reluctance followed his track record of typically being wrong when questioning called strikes.
That quickly changed once the season started when he challenged a strike call in the fourth game of 2026.
Machado said he will only challenge calls that are obviously wrong, but it’s evident the third baseman will speak up when he deems it appropriate.
The Padres lineup has gotten off to a slow start through the first eight games of the seven, coming in at 3-5 while only scoring more than three runs once.
The current series at Fenway Park has seen little production from the offense, with a total of five runs scored.
Nevertheless, the Padres remain confident in their ability to turn things around given the quality of at-bats they’re taking.
“Not frustrating at all,” Machado said when asked about his frustration with the start of the season. “It would’ve been frustrating if we weren’t having good at-bats. … We’re hitting the ball hard, having good at-bats as a group. Obviously, we would like to score more runs. Obviously. But the at-bats are there.”
Jake Cronenworth echoed the same sentiment as Machado following Friday’s loss.
“The at-bats have been good,” Cronenworth said. “I think the quality of contact has been good. Again, it doesn’t seem like anything is falling for anybody.”
The ABS system has been interesting factor already for the Padres in 2026 as the team has looked to be more aggressive in using their challenges when necessary.
Padres Receive Early Criticism For Failing to Utilize ABS Challenges
Fernando Tatis Jr. received criticism for not challenging a strike in a pivotal at-bat in the ninth inning of the Padres’ 3-2 series opening loss to the San Francisco Giants.
With the Padres facing a 3-0 deficit and no outs in the ninth, Tatis took a 2-1 pitch that was high with a runner on first base. The Padres star didn’t challenge the call, despite the team having one available.
Tatis then struck out on the next pitch and Machado grounded out. But Jackson Merrill hit a two-run homer that theoretically would have been a three-run homer had Tatis gotten on base.
Manager Craig Stammen admitted the Padres should be more aggressive with their challenges, especially in close game situations.
“I’m sure there were other pitches we could challenge, too,” Stammen said when asked about Tatis’ decision to not challenge. “But just like thinking [Tatis] specifically, one of our best hitters, arguably our best hitter, in a ninth-inning game where it doesn’t matter if you don’t get to keep the challenge for tomorrow, maybe it’s something that we can have a conversation about.”
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