Rule changes coming to Major League Baseball

March 20 (UPI) -- Major League Baseball and the Players Association have announced rule changes that begin at the start of the 2019 season. The changes will go into effect over the next two seasons.

Most of the changes deal with speeding up the pace of games, but a pitch timer won't be added even though it has been tired out during spring training games this year.

What will go into effect this season includes trimming inning breaks and limiting mound visits.

The time of innings breaks will be reduced from 2:05 to 2 minutes in locally televised games, and from 2:25 to 2 minutes in national games. Visits to the mound will be reduced from to five from six for each team per game.

MLB and the union announced they will also form a joint committee to study other potential changes to All-Star Game voting and bonus payments for the top three vote-getters in each position for each league.

They also will look into starting the 10th inning of a tied All-Star Game, and each inning after that, with a runner on second base.

The joint committee will study increasing the total prize money for the Home Run Derby to $2.5 million, with the winner of the event receiving $1 million.

Rosters can increase to 26 players from 25 from opening day through Aug. 31, as well as in postseason games. Doubleheaders will see rosters allowed to expand to 27.

The 40-man rosters in September will be done away with, as clubs from Sept. 1 to the end of the championship season will carry 28 players on their active roster.

The joint committee is considering changing the number of pitchers a club can carry on a active roster at at time, and a rules is being suggested to change the designation of a "two-way player," based on the number of games a played at a certain position on the field.

The injury list might change for pitchers, increasing the minimum to 15 days from 10, and the minimum period for pitchers assigned to the minors to 15 days from 10.