Eddie Rosario’s Dodgers career started with a bang—literally. A towering home run against the Cubs had fans thinking L.A. had just snagged a bargain with their $740K signing. But baseball is a game of highs and lows, and Rosario’s next outing against the Royals brought him crashing back to earth. A questionable challenge, an unforgiving ABS system, and an awkward moment of humility turned his hot start into the internet’s latest joke. Welcome to L.A., Eddie—where the highs are electric, and the lows? Well, they go viral.

Rosario wasn’t always wearing Dodger blue. In 2021, he was a key piece of the Atlanta Braves’ postseason success, earning NLCS MVP honors and playing a pivotal role in knocking the Dodgers out of the playoffs. Fast forward to 2025, and Los Angeles has signed their former nemesis to a minor league deal worth $740,000, with performance-based incentives for plate appearances.

In spring training against the Chicago Cubs, Rosario made his Dodgers debut in style, crushing a two-run homer in the second inning. It was the perfect way to introduce himself to the fanbase. But just as quickly as he soared, the next game against Kansas City Royals, he stumbled.

All eyes were on him in the Dodgers stadium. And not exactly for a highlight reel play, but for challenging a very obvious strike call. This resulted in the use of MLB’s Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system, and its analysis corresponded with the umpire’s original decision. With this, the Dodgers lost a valuable challenge opportunity.

The MLB has made continuous efforts to integrate technology into the game. The Dodgers’ use of the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) challenge system is part of this effort. Its primary function is to ensure accurate calls. Adding on, the system allows players to challenge the umpire’s decisions. However, instances like Rosario’s challenge show us that players must understand the technology’s capabilities and limitations. Each team is allowed only a limited number of challenges. And an impulse call, such as Rosario’s, can cost them valuable opportunities later in the game.

Backlash and banter: Rosario’s blunder goes viral

This incident went viral, triggering reactions online. Many questioned his decision to challenge such a clear pitch, causing it to be a costly mistake for the Dodgers during his debut game. 

Rosario is a seasoned player, so a rookie mistake was kind of unwarranted. Getting a little blunt, a fan said, “What a moron.” A little harsh, but their frustration is understandable—as the pitch in question was very clearly in the strike zone. A fan pointed out, “Embarrassing… the entire ball caught the zone and this bum challenged it 😂.” With replay leaving little room for doubts and challenging the strike, it could be seen as embarrassing indeed. 

But uh-oh. There’s more. The backlash also got personal. Rosario’s eye surgery made the news in 2022 when he went public with his vision issues. He missed a large chunk of his career recovering from surgery to fix swelling in his right retina. A fan said, “He needs to sue the people who gave him lasik.” The fan humorously suggested he sue the ones who were in charge of his surgery, hinting they did a bad job as Rosario misjudged the strike. 

Although his surgery was successful and he made a healthy return to baseball, many still connect this incident to his vision issues. Another fan pointed out: “Eye surgery didn’t help.” Rosario’s blurry vision affected his ability to track pitches. Clearly, some fans continue to doubt Rosario’s potential.

Adding on, some also noticed the challenges in fully integrating the ABS technology into baseball. One fan commented, “Love the system, but the rules of 2 challenges are going to cause problems when they get wasted like this.” From a broader perspective, wasting challenges will cause major issues between management and players if wasted so early in a game.

Apart from the fans, the baseball community was also taken aback. Rosario’s challenge to a clear strike sparked reactions within the baseball community. Sports journalist Molly Knight said, “I just watched Eddie Rosario challenge a strike call right down the middle in the 4th inning lmao.” She also commented on the severity of this: “He was called out when strike 3 was confirmed and now the Dodgers have lost a challenge.” 

Rosario’s slip-up didn’t go unnoticed, and the backlash came rolling in. But hey, it’s Spring training—better to iron out the kinks now than when it really counts. The real question? Can he shake it off and bounce back in the next game? All eyes will be on him as he navigates this season under the very franchise he once tormented.