Second Cleveland Guardians pitcher placed on leave due to betting investigation
Reliever Emmanuel Clase was reportedly placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through August 31 as part of an ongoing investigation into possible sports betting violations by the MLB.
Key Points
- Fellow Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on similar leave at the start of July, having recently been extended to August 31 after originally running through the All-Star Break
- The franchise released a statement following MLB’s decision, stating “no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted” by the investigation
Major League Baseball (MLB) has placed Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave in connection to a sports betting investigation currently being conducted by the league, which saw fellow Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz take a similar leave on July 3.
“Per an agreement with the MLBPA, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through games on August 31st while MLB continues its sports betting investigation,” MLB said as part of an official statement released on July 28.
“We will not comment further until the investigation has been completed.”
The investigation into Ortiz originally stemmed from a betting-integrity firm flagging two of his pitches which coincided with increased bets on a particular outcome. The two pitches, thrown separately on June 15 and June 27, were both well out of the strike zone and happened to be the first pitch of each particular inning.
“We have been informed that no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted,” the Cleveland Guardians said following Clase being placed on leave.
“The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time, and will respect the league’s confident investigative process as we continue to fully cooperate.”
Good to know: The Los Angeles Dodgers MLB franchise named PrizePicks as its daily fantasy sports partner on June 11, including numerous digital and in-stadium activations at Dodger Stadium
It is not clear at the time of writing as to which events may have led MLB to believe Clase had violated its sports betting procedures, who had been in frequent trade rumors leading up to the July 31 MLB Trade Deadline. Ortiz’s leave was originally supposed to conclude on July 17, but was recently extended through August 31 as well.
In 2024, MLB handed San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano a lifetime suspension for betting on his own club, as well as one-year suspensions for four other players that had placed wagers on baseball.
MLB umpire Pat Hoberg was also fired in early 2025 after the league discovered he shared sports betting accounts with a friend who had been betting on the sport.
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