Guardians' Luis Ortiz Subject Of MLB Gambling Investigation, Placed
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is the subject of a Significant League Baseball betting investigation and was put on non-disciplinary leave Thursday, 2 individuals with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.
Individuals spoke to the AP on condition of due to the nature of the examination.
The examination is associated to in-game prop bets on two pitches tossed by Ortiz that got higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and his current trip against St. Louis on June 27. The betting activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity company and forwarded to MLB.
ESPN reported the company IC360 just recently likewise sent out an alert to sportsbook operators regarding Ortiz.
The Athletic was the first to report that Ortiz's suspension was related to gambling.
MLB said Ortiz's paid leave is through the end of the All-Star break, when players return to their teams July 17 and games resume the following day. It can be extended if the investigation remains ongoing.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis L. Ortiz throws tot he Athletics throughout the seventh inning of a baseball video game Saturday, June 21, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
Chris Antonetti, Cleveland ´ s president of baseball operations, said before Thursday night's video game at the Chicago Cubs that the group can continue to have contact with Ortiz, but he can't go into any of the Guardians' centers. Ortiz went back to Cleveland on Wednesday night.
Ortiz was slated to be the starting pitcher for Thursday night ´ s series finale. Instead, left-hander Joey Cantillo was recalled from Triple-A Columbus. Cantillo is 1-0 with one conserve and a 3.81 ERA in 21 appearances this season.
"We found out really little last night, but understood we needed to get someone here today to begin today ´ s game, which actually was our focus," Antonetti said. "A lot has come out today, which ´ s much more information than we have.
"Our focus is we ´ ll let the investigative procedure play out. To the level Major League Baseball or anyone needs our support in that, we will obviously work together. But beyond that, there ´ s actually very little we can do."
Manager Stephen Vogt said he and Antonetti addressed the group about Ortiz's scenario and attempted to address questions the best they could.
It is another setback for a Guardians squad that has dropped a season-high six straight games and is 9-18 considering that May 1.
"Honestly, when I got the news the other day I didn ´ t understand how to feel," Vogt said. "There ´ s so much unknowns with this, but you understand what? Every group goes through adversity, possibly various kinds, however this is a durable group. I ´ ve been through circumstances comparable to this before in my career as a gamer, and what would I have wanted to hear? How would I want the manager to have actually responded, which ´ s what I ´ m trying to do."
The 26-year old Ortiz remains in his first season with Cleveland after he was obtained in a trade with Pittsburgh last December. The right-hander is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 16 starts this season. The nine losses are tied for the most in the American League.
In four big-league seasons, Ortiz is 16-22 with a 4.05 ERA and one conserve.
The examination into Ortiz comes a little bit more than a year after MLB suspended five players for gaming, consisting of a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. MLB said Marcano positioned 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 with a legal sportsbook in 2022 and 2023.
Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and 3 minor leaguers - San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez - received 1 year suspensions.
Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Big league Baseball in February for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a pal who wagered on baseball video games and for deliberately erasing electronic messages significant to the league ´ s investigation.
Freelance author Matt Carlson in Chicago contributed to this report.