Major League Baseball passed two new rules changes unanimously through the competition committee on Tuesday, reports The Athletic. The changes are more like minor tweaks, however, and the on-field product won't really look different in 2025 compared to 2024 as a result.

The changes attempt to avoid rare instances where the old rules could have incentivized teams to try to game the system.

Two on-field rule changes will be implemented beginning this season after MLB’s competition committee unanimously passed them earlier this week. The first involves a modification to the shift rules established prior to the 2023 season.

Evan Drellich of The Athletic reported on Thursday that MLB has instituted two new rule changes for the 2025 season. The first rule change is a stiffer penalty for fielders who violate the infield shift rule.

Regarding the defense, the rule change now allows a hitting team to accept an awarded base if a defensive player violates the shift ban and is the first player to field a batted ball. Teams are required to keep two infielders on either side of the second base bag.