Universal DH update

Universal DH will be available towards the end of June. Will post a more definitive date as it approaches, but we're looking like June 26 or 27. The update is running through a test world in our QA environment right now. We want to get it to the all star break so we can make sure awards, etc. are working as they should. That timing also gives everyone time to adjust rosters to prepare, etc.

The mechanics will be that each private world commissioner will be able to decide if they want to use it or not. They'll have access to a button in the commissioner tools that can enable or disable at any time.

Public worlds will be controlled by us - if anyone has suggestions on how to better handle those worlds, we're open. Most likely default to enabling the DH.

what about the 26th Roster spot like the Major Leagues, which should help the extra usage of an offensive player.

yes and yes to the 26th player

Yes to 26th, and can we get the ML, 10 day DL as well?

Great news, thanks for the update! We really appreciate all the hard work you and the team are putting in.

Posted by rbedwell on 5/20/2026 1:26:00 AM (view original):
So a world could convert to this during a season that has already started?

Yes, but it could also wait until the next season to adopt the universal DH. Or not do it at all. Up to the members of the world.

Stupid that they are pushing the decision and control of whether to implement this onto the commissioners. Another poor move for a failing game.

Fix injuries next. It's ruining the game. It seems more and more players have a low health rating to start out, injuries seem to happen more often, destroys player ratings with no way for an owner to compensate for injuries. It's really taking the fun out of building a franchise.

Posted by fireattack on 5/21/2026 7:34:00 PM (view original):
Fix injuries next. It's ruining the game. It seems more and more players have a low health rating to start out, injuries seem to happen more often, destroys player ratings with no way for an owner to compensate for injuries. It's really taking the fun out of building a franchise.

Injuries are part of real life MLB and therefore have to be part of this game if it is to mirror realistically.

Take a look at the Astros this season. Ace SP, closer, and 6 position starters (3B, C, SS, 2B, LF and CF) are all either on the IL, have spent time on the IL or are now out for season. Other SPs and bench players have been or are currently on the IL as well. No HBD team has ever come close to this many injuries.

There is a minor tweaks to injuries they should do. No player should recover above a 100 rating, which I recently saw again.

Overall, injuries in HBD mirror real life MLB fairly well. If you don't like that, then maybe this isn't a good game for you.

It would be nice if there was a way to tell which worlds choose to use universal DH and which ones don't, Maybe on the page where you view active worlds and it tells you the commish name, days remaining, status, etc. Or on the page when you are joining a world.

I usually like to keep at least one NL team because I like the game without the DH, but all of my current worlds are leaning towards using the universal DH. I would likely drop a couple of those teams and choose a world specifically because they don't use the DH.

I like the current NL rules, though it would be interesting to see an old-school league without the DH in either league. Depending on what the leagues I’m currently in decide to do, I might be in the market for an NL team that doesn’t use the DH. It would be great if there were an easy way to find leagues like that.

I despise the DH in MLB. I don't know if Joe Torre was the first person to say it or not, but he said that managing in the NL was chess while managing in the AL was checkers. The DH takes all the strategy out of the game when it comes to managing your lineup and staff during a game. I like the idea that world's can opt out of the DH. That gives the folks like me somewhere to still play.

I think it's great that each world will be able to choose if they want Universal DH or not. I also think that injuries should not result in super powers nor in breaking them. I think if some want to play in leagues that don't have long-term injuries, perhaps there could be a commish option to deactivate them. But I think it's less challenging a game without them.

I see the point about having different options, for old schoolers who don't like the DH. If it is going to be a league-by-league decision/implementation, that determination should be coordinated by HBD/WIS staff, not pawned off on commissioners to determine how to integrate a new game feature for them. I think that's in poor form. We already do enough for them, recruiting, first level resolution of world disputes, filling abandoned teams, etc. And please, don't mention the $10 commissioner credit as compensation.