With opening day slated for Thursday, the 2024 Major League Baseball season is nearly upon us. In a matter of days, the Texas Rangers' title defense will be underway, while MLB's other 29 teams will begin their quest to unseat the champs.

As was the case in 2023, opening day will feature a few rule changes. Though perhaps not as dramatic as last year's changes—which included the introduction of a pitch timer, larger bases and limitations on defensive shifts—these changes may require an adjustment period for fans.

Last year's changes took some getting used to, though, with a faster pace of play, the results were largely positive. Games may be even faster and more exciting in 2024 with pace-of-play rules continuing to evolve.

Here, we'll take an in-depth look at what's new for 2024.

Pitch-Clock Change

As the only major American sport without built-in time constraints, baseball games had become too long and too slow prior to last year's pace-of-place changes.

The introduction of the pitch timer helped tremendously. The new rule set time limits of 30 seconds between batters, 15 seconds between pitches with empty bases, and 20 seconds between pitches with occupied bases.

The result was a 24-minute decrease in game length, according to Ronald Blum of the Associated Press.

This year will see a minor tweak, as the time limit with a runner on base will drop from 20 seconds to 18 seconds.

A pitcher who does not begin his throwing motion before the timer runs out will yield an automatic ball. Batters must be in the box and prepared to hit with no fewer than eight seconds remaining, otherwise an automatic strike will be awarded.

The pitch clock operator will restart the clock after a dead ball when the pitcher has the ball in hand. Previously, the clock would not restart until the pitcher was on the mound.

As was the case in 2023, the pitch clock will be used in both the regular season and the postseason.

Widening of First-Base Runner's Lane

Last year, the bigger base size resulted in a spike in stolen bases. In fact, the stolen-base rate reached its highest mark since the 1987 season. This meant that fans enjoyed many more exciting plays that didn't involve home runs or strikeouts.

In an effort to get more batters on bases, MLB is set to expand the runner's lane between home plate and first base. From MLB.com:

"Previously, MLB Rule 5.09 (a)(11) required a batter to run the last half of the distance between home plate and first base between the foul line and a three-foot line drawn on the right-hand side of the dirt. ...the runner will now be deemed in compliance with the rule as long as both feet remain on the dirt path between home and first."

In simple terms, the runner's path is acceptable as long as it's on the dirt and not in the grass. Officiating any potential first-base running violations should now be much easier, which in turn, should further hasten the pace of play.

Other Notable Rule Changes

A few more changes will be implemented to help quicken the pace of play. One of the most notable is that each team's allotted mound visits will be decreased from five to four per game. A fifth visit will be awarded in the ninth inning if the defensive team has none remaining at the end of the eighth.

Also, if a new pitcher enters the warning track with less than two minutes remaining on the inning break clock, the clock will reset to two minutes instead of two minutes and 15 seconds.

Pitchers who warm up for an inning must also face at least one batter while still complying with the three-batter-minimum rule. From MLB.com:

"MLB found 24 instances in 2023 of a pitcher warming up between innings and getting replaced before throwing a pitch, adding approximately three minutes of dead time per event."

In other words, a pitcher who warms up between innings must take the field.

Lastly, umpires have been instructed to emphasize an existing rule that limits the obstruction of the runner's path between bases. From MLB.com:

"[MLB's guidance] emphasizes the existing rule and asks umpires to call obstruction if they determine a fielder has positioned himself to impede or hinder a runner's path to the base before receiving the ball. The play remains non-reviewable, and the point of emphasis only applies to the bases, not home plate."

While the path-obstruction rule isn't new and isn't designed to quicken the pace of play, it should help make for cleaner plays and a more enjoyable experience for MLB fans.