Nike’s controversial new MLB uniforms, which the company once called the “most advanced” jerseys in baseball history, are officially on the way out.
The league announced Monday that it will begin to replace the new jerseys with their predecessors, both of which are manufactured by Fanatics, starting next season. For 2025, all road grey uniforms will revert to the materials and design used from 2018 through 2023. All other uniforms will follow suit in 2026. Previous planned changes to home whites and alternate jerseys for 2025 will remain in place next season, with the full reversion happening in 2026.
Nike representatives didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment, including a specific question about whether the company planned to make another attempt to revamp the jerseys under its current MLB deal.
Monday’s announcement, made after months of talks between Nike, Fanatics, MLB and its players union, is the latest in a saga that hung over the league and some of the biggest names in sports jerseys. Nike unveiled the uniforms league-wide in spring training earlier this year, promoting the lighter, thinner uniforms as an advancement in fit and moisture wicking.
They drew immediate criticism, however, from both players and fans. Athletes complained about fit, the customization options, and their see-through nature; fans complained about the size of the logos and the lettering, and the fact that the patches were now screen-printed. The controversy, a rare design miss for Nike, took on new life as the sportswear giant refused to address the issue as it was taking root in clubhouses and on social media. In late April, the MLBPA sent a memo to players that placed the blame on Nike, both in the company’s design process and its response.
A week later, MLB announced adjustments for the 2025 season that will remain for the home whites and alternate color uniforms. They include larger lettering and a return to the more comprehensive pant customization that was available in prior iterations.
All MLB uniforms, new and old, are manufactured in the same Pennsylvania plant that has been making the authentic baseball jerseys for more than a decade. That facility was previously owned by Majestic, which Fanatics bought in 2017. In the early part of the MLB controversy, Fanatics endured criticism from fans, leading CEO Michael Rubin to say the company has “been told we’re doing everything exactly right, and we’re getting the s**t kicked out of us.”
Nike’s uniform deal with MLB runs through 2029.
As part of the announcement, MLB announced it would go back to its practice of having All-Stars wear their own team’s uniforms during the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game. That was the practice from the 1930s through 2019.
