Dave Roberts Could Ban Certain Dodgers Players From Making ABS Challenges

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Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is willing to tell players not to challenge certain calls if they repeatedly cost the team chances.

Roberts has started to take the gloves off during his press conference, no longer the uber-calm, relaxed manager, but instead pushing players to get it into gear.

No doubt, Roberts is feeling the pressure of the upcoming postseason and a team that is overall in disarray since the All-Star break.

He has started to play matchups more aggressively and pinch-hit some of his longer-tenured veterans, like Teoscar Hernandez, no longer simply letting his team figure things out.

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Aug 8, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (4) looks out to the field before the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Anna Carrington-Imagn Images

The Dodgers’ long-time skipper is adopting this approach to the team’s usage of challenges as well, an area where the team has notably been weak.

Roberts had conversations with players about how to use challenges effectively and a change in approach.

“Had some good conversations about understanding leverage and the effect that it potentially has if we exhaust them too early and they’re not the right time. So I feel like we got a much better handle on it,” Roberts said.

When asked about the nature of those conversations, he made it known that players could be barred from making ABS decisions if they are shown to struggle with choosing when.

The Dodgers certainly needed a wake-up call regarding their ABS usage since it will be crucial come playoff time, where every margin matters.

Dave Roberts when asked he if would tell a player to avoid using ABS challenges at certain points of the game.

"Yes, I would"

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) August 11, 2026

Breaking down the Dodgers’ ABS struggles​

In terms of net runs through ABS usage, the Dodgers sit at -5.3, meaning they have cost more runs than they have gained by ABS decisions.

That number is good for 23rd in MLB. Additionally, their net overturns paint an even grimmer picture, with -33 in terms of overturned calls, signaling their struggles to get calls to go their way.

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Aug 5, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) in the dugout before the game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

The team’s catchers only challenge 1.8% of the time, ranking 28th in the league, while winning 60% of the time, around league average.

In terms of hitters challenging, the Dodgers are top 10 in win rate and around league average in challenge rate.

However, the net runs stat really paints the bigger picture, since it accounts for leverage. If a player is right on an obviously wrong call in the first three innings with minimal traffic, it is less valuable than challenging on a close call later on in the game or with the bases loaded.

The Dodgers tend to pull the trigger a bit too early, for the most part, leaving them vulnerable to bad calls later on.

While on its face not that big of a deal, proper ABS usage is a new market inefficiency, and lacking in this department is costly, especially over a series like the postseason.

For the next month, it will be interesting to see if there is a different approach to challenging and when they are deployed, or if more drastic measures, like barring certain players from challenging, are needed.

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