Rob Manfred says the automated strike zone will be used in some minor league ballparks next season as the league works to improve the technology.

To this point robotic umpires have been tested in the independent Atlantic League and the Arizona Fall League.

"Here's our thinking on the automated strike zone: The technology exists. We have the technology," Manfred said on MLB Network. "We're actually going through a big upgrade of that piece of our technology during this offseason. I think we need to be ready to use an automated strike zone when the time is right. That's why we experimented in the Atlantic League. It's why we went to the Arizona Fall League. It's why we're using it in Minor League Baseball next year, in some ballparks at least. 

"I think it's incumbent upon us to see if we can get the system to the point we're comfortable it can work. I only would go to an automated strike zone when we were sure that it was absolutely the best it can be. Getting out there too early with it and not having it work well, that'd be a big mistake."