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. Those rules require that the defensive team have no more than two infielders on either side of second base prior to a pitch being thrown. In addition, each infielder must be standing on the infield -- in other words, no shifting into the shallow outfield.

Previously, if an infielder was caught violating the rule -- e.g. a shortstop was on the second base side of the bag, resulting in three infielders on the right side before the pitch was delivered -- the batting team could accept the result of the play or have the hitter be awarded an automatic ball.

Under the new rules, the batting team may accept the result of the play or the batter will be granted a free base (enabling any other runners to advance one base) if there is a violation and the violating player was the first to touch the ball in play.

In such a scenario, the violating player would be charged an error and no at-bat would be registered for the batter.

The second rule change involves the rare practice of running through a base other than first base on a force play. For example, if there are runners on first and third with two out and a ball is hit on the ground, the runner going to second base might opt to run straight through the bag rather than sliding in the hope that he¡¯d get there faster and beat the throw.

If that runner beat the throw and overran the bag, he would likely get caught in a rundown and be tagged out. But it would enable the runner from third to score on the play before the third out was recorded.

In the past, if a runner was called out at second in this scenario, and upon review a replay official found that he actually did beat the throw before going past the bag, the umpires would have to ignore that the runner overran the base and place him on second.

The rule change gives umpires the power to call the trail runner out for abandonment of second base even if he beat the throw. He is considered to have abandoned the bag as soon as both feet land on the other side of the base.

In that case, whether the runner at third scores or not will depend on whether he touched home plate before or after the runner at second was ruled to have abandoned second base.