MLB Home Run Derby gets major rule change in 2026

Major League Baseball is making its biggest Home Run Derby format adjustment since 2015, with the league set to eliminate the timed structure and return to a swing-based system for the 2026 competition in Philadelphia, Evan Drellich and Johnny Flores Jr. of The Athletic reported Wednesday.

Participants will no longer race against a clock. Instead, each hitter will receive a fixed number of swings. In the opening round, the eight-player field will be allotted 20 swings each, while the semifinal and championship rounds will feature 15 swings per contestant.

A major addition to the format is the treatment of the final swing. If a player hits a home run on his last allotted swing, the round will continue until he records a non-home-run swing. That rule applies in every round and gives hitters an opportunity to extend their totals beyond the original swing limit.

The Derby had operated under various timed formats since 2015. The most recent version featured three minutes or 40 pitches in the first round and two minutes or 27 pitches in the semifinal and final rounds. While the clock-based setup was introduced to accelerate the event and boost fan interest, some players reportedly viewed it as physically demanding because it encouraged constant swinging before time expired.

Under the revised structure, hitters will have more freedom to take pitches without the pressure of a running clock. The change marks the first swing-based Derby since 2014, ending an 11-year run of timed rounds.

The competition will still feature eight participants in Round 1. The four players with the highest home run totals will advance to the semifinals. Seeding will determine the bracket, with the top first-round performer facing the fourth seed and the second seed matching up against the third seed.

Tie-breaking procedures have also been outlined. First-round ties will be decided by the longest home run distance. In the semifinals and final, tied competitors will participate in a three-swing tiebreaker.

The 2026 Home Run Derby is scheduled for July 13 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, one day before the All-Star Game. It will also mark a broadcasting shift, as Netflix will carry the event after it spent nearly three decades on ESPN.

Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh enters the event as the defending champion after defeating Junior Caminero in last year’s final.

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