Very few pitchers in baseball can pitch complete games these days. And even the ones that can seldom do so due to pitch count restrictions and fear of injuries. After all, pitchers are a massive investment for MLB teams, so overworking them is always a concern. In MLB The Show 25, this is no different. No matter which mode of the game you’re playing, pitchers will eventually wear out and become tired, making them less effective on the mound and more susceptible to giving up hits. Or even worse, sometimes, they just won’t be effective at all.
Once this happens, you’ll be forced to go into your bullpen and put in a reliever. But if you want the best chance at success, you’ll need to warm them up first. Here’s everything you need to know about warming up pitchers in MLB The Show 25.
MLB The Show 25 Has An Auto Warmup Option
MLB The Show 25 has completely reworked the warmup function. Whereas in past years, you were responsible for warming up pitchers, this year’s entry has an auto-warmup function for players who can’t be bothered by opening up their bullpen menu for anything other than to put a new pitcher in.
To enable or disable this function, do the following:
- Go to Settings at the main menu
- Tab over to General
- Scroll down until you see the Auto Bullpen Warm-Up option, and toggle it ON/OFF.
By default, the setting is left off, which will require you to manually warm up pitchers in single-player modes such as Franchise.
Warming Up Pitchers In MLB The Show 25
If you value realism and want to make pitching changes more strategic, then you’ll likely leave the auto warmup function off, meaning you’ll be responsible for making sure they’re warm before entering the game.
To warm up a pitcher midgame, the easiest way to do it is by hitting right on the directional pad of your controller, finding what pitcher you’d like to put in, selecting them, then choosing which warm-up option to use. If you’re expecting your pitcher to be needed ASAP, then choose “Warm Up.” If you’re hitting and don’t want them to wear out before getting to the next half inning — which they will if you warm them up for too long — then select “Stretch and Toss.”
If you’re warming them up while pitching, a reliever will typically be ready to go after one batter and a mound visit. Keep in mind, though, that when playing a 9-inning game, any pitcher you bring in out of the bullpen will be obligated to face three batters. So choose your reliever wisely.
Online Modes Don’t Require Warming Pitchers Up
Unlike in past iterations, MLB The Show 25 has automatically disabled warming up pitchers when playing online. This was a decision that was made to prevent players from constantly pausing throughout a game. Also, when playing a three-inning game in Conquest or Events, the three-batter rule for relievers doesn’t apply and is brought down to one. So feel free to change pitchers at your leisure when playing those modes.
Published: Mar 26, 2025 7:33 PM UTC