Sources – Guardians’ Luis Ortiz under investigation over alleged gambling


Cleveland Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz is under investigation by Major League Baseball for breaking the league’s rules on sports gambling, sources told ESPN on Thursday, and he has been placed on “non-disciplinary paid leave” through July 17.

The investigation into Ortiz’s alleged gambling comes a little more than a year after MLB levied a lifetime ban against San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for placing nearly 400 bets on baseball. Four other players received one-year suspensions for gambling on baseball while in the minor leagues.

The paid leave for Ortiz, which ends at the conclusion of the All-Star break, was negotiated between the league and the MLB Players Association. If the investigation remains open, the leave could be extended.

Ortiz had been scheduled to start Thursday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs.

A 26-year-old starting pitcher, Ortiz was acquired by Cleveland from the Pittsburgh Pirates over the winter as part of the three-team trade in which the Guardians sent second baseman Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays. With a 4-9 record and 4.36 ERA, Ortiz has been a staple in a Guardians rotation whose 4.13 ERA ranks 18th in MLB.

Ortiz’s leave comes amid a slide for the Guardians, who have lost six consecutive games to drop to 40-44. While Cleveland remains in second place in the American League Central, it trails first-place Detroit by 12½ games.

Ortiz signed with the Pirates in 2018 at 19 years old, far later than the typical prospect, and didn’t reach full-season ball until 2021. He quickly shot through the Pittsburgh organization and debuted in 2022, eventually throwing 238⅓ innings and posting a 3.93 ERA in his three seasons with the Pirates.



#Sources #Guardians #Luis #Ortiz #investigation #alleged #gambling

Related Posts

UW Huskies Opponent Defensive Preview: Maryland Terrapins

The Huskies hit the road this week to face Maryland (4-0, 1-0) in their first matchup as conference opponents. After a tough loss at home against Ohio State last week,…

Conor Benn offered super-welterweight world title shot after Chris Eubank Jr rematch against new champ Abass Baraou | Boxing News

Conor Benn has been offered a world title shot down at super-welterweight. Next month Benn will rematch Chris Eubank Jr up at 160lbs, higher than his accustomed weight class. Benn…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *