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MLB announces changes to uniforms after backlash — but many won’t be ready for next season

Major League Baseball spent the first part of this year dealing with a uniform crisis it’s hoping to avoid moving forward. How? By going back to what worked.

Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto touches pitcher Zack Wheeler’s new jersey on the first day of spring training earlier this year.
Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto touches pitcher Zack Wheeler’s new jersey on the first day of spring training earlier this year.Read moreHeather Khalifa / Staff Photographer

After a year of controversy for Nike and MLB, the league officially confirmed changes are coming to the player uniforms for 2025.

The new Nike Vapor Premier template was released for 2024, to the derision of players and fans, who criticized the ill-fitting pants, smaller lettering, and iron-on patches, and a return to the 2023 jersey materials.

“At the time, I didn’t think it would be this bad,” an anonymous Phillies player told Alex Coffey in February of the new jerseys. “We had something going so good. The structure we had in place was working. It was great. Especially for … that was a big deal to come to the big leagues debut and you had your pants that are fitted to you, that you chose. They’re customized now, but we’re just limited in what we can customize. You get bucket one, bucket two, bucket three.”

MLB said Monday that after a player survey, all of those issues will be addressed.

Due to production issues, however, those changes will not be made on all uniforms until 2026. MLB, which has been partnering with Fanatics for uniform production since 2017, said the road gray uniforms will revert to the 2023 materials for 2025, and all uniforms will be back to the 2023 materials in 2026.

The league did not provide any information on when changes might come to the jerseys available at retail to fans.

» READ MORE: Phillies playoffs: Schedule, tickets, opponent, and everything we know now that they’ve clinched

A tradition returns to the All-Star Game

MLB also announced that in 2025, players will wear their own team jerseys in the All-Star Game. During All-Star workouts and the Home Run Derby, players will wear All-Star jerseys — except for the actual Home Run Derby participants, who will wear their home jerseys.

The decision is a return to a decades-long tradition, which started in the 1930s before the league made the change after 2019. For many players, including Bryce Harper, the change is a welcome one.

“That’s what I grew up watching,” Harper said before the All-Star Game in July. “That’s one thing that’s really cool to see everybody on the field wearing their own stuff. I love that … The day before, you get the National League stuff, but I really like the uniform of the game. That’s one thing that, if we could change back to that, I think that would be really cool.”

All-Star participants will still wear custom All-Star hats.