The 2026 Home Run Derby is getting a major makeover, and the biggest change is simple: no more clock.
For the first time since 2015, Derby hitters won’t be racing a timer. Instead, the event is shifting to a swing-based format, with each player getting 20 swings in the opening round and 15 swings in both the semifinals and championship round. Every swing counts, whether it leaves the yard or not.
That adjustment should take some of the sprint-out-the-clock pressure off the sluggers, but there’s still a stamina element baked in. If a hitter goes deep on the final swing of a round, he can keep going until he makes an out. That wrinkle appears to replace the three extra outs hitters used to get at the end of a timed round.
What isn’t changing from 2024 and 2025 is the path to the title. The first round still won’t use a bracket.
Instead, the top four home run totals advance to the semifinals, where the field is seeded No. 1 against No. 4 and No. 2 against No. 3.
From there, the winners meet for the championship.
Ties will be handled differently depending on the round. In the first round, the longer home run breaks the tie. In the semifinals and final, tied hitters will go to three extra swings.
The 2026 Derby will be held Monday, July 13, at Citizens Bank Park. Coverage on Netflix begins at 4 p.m. PT, with the event officially starting at 5 p.m.
Six participants have already been confirmed for the Philadelphia showcase.
Bryce Harper is back for a third Derby appearance. He won the event in 2018 in Washington D.C. as a member of the Washington Nationals and finished second in 2013.
Harper is one of only three players to win the Derby in his home ballpark, joining Ryne Sandberg in 1990 and Todd Frazier in 2015. His appearance also marks the 28th time a player from the host team has taken part.
Jordan Walker is set for his Derby debut. The St. Louis Cardinals slugger is a first-time All-Star and is trying to become the first Cardinals player ever to win the event.
Willson Contreras is also making his first Derby appearance. The four-time All-Star is on pace to set a new career high in home runs this season.
He is the seventh different Red Sox player to compete in the event and the 11th Boston appearance overall. David Ortiz remains the only Red Sox hitter to win it.
Contreras could also become only the second Venezuela native to claim the crown, alongside Bobby Abreu in 2005.
Jac Caglianone is the sixth Royals player to enter the Derby. Bobby Witt Jr. was the last Kansas City participant, falling short against Teoscar Hernández in 2024.
Ben Rice is another first-timer. He becomes the eighth different Yankees player to compete and the 11th Yankees appearance overall.
New York’s Derby winners include Tino Martinez in 1997, Jason Giami in 2002, Robinson Canó in 2011 and Aaron Judge in 2017. The Yankees and Seattle Mariners are the only franchises with four all-time Derby winners.
Junior Caminero was the first player to commit for 2026, and he’s back for a second straight year after finishing runner-up in 2025. He is the Rays’ first two-time participant and is chasing the franchise’s first Derby title.
If Caminero wins, he would become the youngest Home Run Derby champion ever at 23 years, eight days on July 13, 2026. The current mark belongs to Juan Gonzalez, who won in 1993 at 23 years, 265 days.
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