White Sox reliever Kelly wants robot umps: 'We need them ASAP'

Chicago White Sox right-hander Joe Kelly can't wait for robot umpires to arrive at the major-league level.

"We need them ASAP," Kelly told the "White Sox Talk Podcast."

"I feel like I threw a couple of pitches yesterday that were in the zone that umps definitely missed. It's just at this point with technology where we need everything to be the same. Baseball is the only sport (without electronic assistance), which I think is great, but I also think it's absolutely shitty for actual records."

He added: "When you have an automatic strike zone where all of human error is (removed) - as fast as we can get (robot umps) is what I want."

MLB implemented several rule changes for the 2023 campaign, including a pitch clock, shift restrictions, and larger bases. But it's not clear when the big leagues might feature an automated strike zone.

The Automatic Balls and Strikes system has been tested at different minor-league levels since 2019 and will reportedly be used at all 30 Triple-A ballparks this season.