Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is the subject of a Major League Baseball gambling investigation and was placed on non-disciplinary leave Thursday, two people with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the nature of the investigation.
The investigation is related to in-play prop bets on two pitches thrown by Ortiz that received higher than usual activity during his debut in Seattle on June 15 and his recent outing against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the fields was reported by a betting integrity company and forwarded to MLB.
ESPN reported that the company IC360 recently also sent an alert to sports betting operators regarding Ortiz.
The Athletic was first to report that Ortiz’s suspension was gambling-related.
MLB said Ortiz’s paid leave would last until the end of the All-Star break, when players return to their teams on July 17 and games resume the next day. It may be extended if the investigation remains ongoing.
Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, said before Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs that the team could continue to have contact with Ortiz, but that he could not enter any of the Guardians’ facilities. Ortiz returned to Cleveland on Wednesday evening.
Ortiz was scheduled 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 save and a 3.81 ERA in 21 appearances this season.
“We learned very little last night, but we knew we needed someone here today to start today’s game, and that was really our goal,” Antonetti said. “A lot has been released today, and this is way more information than we have.
“Our goal is to let the investigative process play out. To the extent that Major League Baseball or anyone else needs our support, we will obviously cooperate. But beyond that, there’s really not much we can do.”
Manager Stephen Vogt said he and Antonetti spoke to the team about Ortiz’s situation and tried to answer questions as best they could.
It’s another setback for a Guardians team that has lost a season-high six straight games and is 9-18 since May 1.
“Honestly, when I heard the news yesterday, I didn’t know how I felt,” Vogt said. “There are so many unknowns in all of this, but you know what? Every team goes through adversity, maybe different types, but this is a resilient group. I’ve been through similar situations in my playing career, and what would I have wanted to hear? How would I have liked the coach to react, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Ortiz, 26, is in his first season with Cleveland after being acquired 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 seasons in the big leagues, Ortiz is 16-22 with a 4.05 ERA and one save.
The investigation into Ortiz comes a little more than a year after MLB suspended five players for gambling, including a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 with a legal sportsbook in 2022 and 2023.
Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and three minor leaguers – San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez – were suspended for one year.
Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Major League Baseball in February for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games and for intentionally deleting email messages relevant to the league’s investigation.
