New York Mets say they follow all MLB rules after pitcher accuses club of using AI to call pitches

Key points

• New York Mets interim manager Andy Green stated on Saturday that the club is fully compliant with all Major League Baseball rules on artificial intelligence use.
• Pitcher Adam Ottavino alleged the Mets used AI, software that can analyse data and suggest decisions automatically, to influence in-game pitching choices.
• Major League Baseball has recently restricted the functions available on the iPads teams use in dugouts during games.
• The league, not individual clubs, decides what AI tools are permitted during play.

The New York Mets are pushing back on a story that had baseball fans doing a double-take. Adam Ottavino, a pitcher, claimed the club was using artificial intelligence (AI, meaning computer software that spots patterns and makes recommendations) to guide pitch-calling decisions during live games. That is a significant allegation at a time when baseball's governing body is actively tightening its rules on technology in the dugout.

Interim manager Andy Green addressed it plainly before Saturday's game against the Philadelphia Phillies. "Whatever the rules are, we remain fully compliant and Major League Baseball makes those determinations," he said. Short answer. No apology, no detail.

The story, first reported by The Guardian, lands at a sensitive moment. Major League Baseball (MLB) recently cut back what the iPad tablets in dugouts can actually do during games, a sign the league knows the technology question is live and pressing. Those tablets were once a relatively open window to data. Now MLB is narrowing that window.

So what would AI-assisted pitch-calling actually look like in practice? Picture a coach glancing at a screen that has already crunched thousands of at-bats and is telling him: throw a cutter, low and outside, to this batter in this count. A human still throws the ball, but the suggestion comes from a machine rather than gut instinct or a printed scouting report. Whether that crosses a line depends entirely on what MLB's rulebook currently allows, and that rulebook is apparently a moving target.

Green's response puts the compliance question squarely back on the league. If MLB says it is fine, the Mets say they are fine. That is a defensible position, but it does not settle whether AI nudges belong in a sport that prizes split-second human judgement.

What does this mean for fans watching at home?

For now, nothing changes in the stands or on your sofa. The Mets are not admitting wrongdoing and MLB has not sanctioned anyone. But this story matters because it is almost certainly not just about one team. Every club has analysts, data feeds, and tablets. The real story is whether baseball will draw a clear, public line on AI assistance before the practice becomes invisible and universal. Watch for an official MLB statement that spells out exactly what counts as permitted analysis and what crosses into banned in-game AI use. That is the ruling that will actually matter.