On Tuesday, MLB announced that in 2026, the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) Challenge System will be coming to the big leagues. The challenge system has been trialed in the minors for a few seasons now, as well as spring training. It even appeared in the 2025 MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, but many major leaguers have had a very limited run with the system.

Fans have already been quick to wonder what it would have been like to have the system in series’ past, and wondering which players and teams will be best at utilizing their challenges.

Instead of trying to guess which players will be best at challenges, we identified which Braves hitters are most likely to screw up the team’s challenges next year.

Which Braves players could screw up the ABS challenge system in 2026

Matt Olson

Matt Olson is one of the best hitters in baseball, but the lefty swinging first baseman also takes a fair amount of strikes in the zone. Among Braves players this season, he’s fourth on the team at swinging at pitches in the zone.

Unsurprisingly, he’s second on the team in called third strikes, behind Marcell Ozuna, who likely won’t be a member of the Atlanta Braves in 2026. Based on the fact that Olson is more likely to take pitches in near the corners and the fact that he is at the top of the plate appearance leaderboard every season, it’s inevitable the three-time All-Star messes up a few challenges.

Ronald Acuña Jr.

Unlike Olson, Ronald Acuña Jr. swings at a healthy amount of strikes. On the Braves, only three players with 100 or more plate appearances have swung more often at pitches in the zone. Acuña also excels at laying off pitches out of the zone, with only two Braves swinging less often at balls than the 2025 All-Star.

Still, the superstar still has a few moments where he takes called strikes in the zone he disagrees with. This season, he’s eighth on the Braves in called strikeouts. While he’s also likely to win a bunch of ABS challenges, there will certainly be a time or two where he gets one wrong and burns a challenge.

Jurickson Profar

Profar is in a similar boat to Acuña where the initial data doesn’t indicate he’d be likely to waste challenges. He doesn’t swing at balls, he swings a decent amount at balls in the zone. Profar is also is above-average in avoiding strikeouts.

However, Profar has had his moments where he’s lost his cool. In a world where the challenge system exists, the left fielder might be quick to call for a review.