Guardians' Luis Ortiz Subject Of MLB Gambling Investigation, Placed

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is the topic of a Major League Baseball betting examination and was put on non-disciplinary leave Thursday, 2 individuals with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.


The people spoke to the AP on condition of privacy due to the nature of the examination.


The examination relates to in-game prop bets on 2 pitches thrown by Ortiz that received greater activity than normal during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and his current trip versus 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 firm IC360 recently likewise sent out an alert to sportsbook operators concerning Ortiz.


The Athletic was the very first to report that Ortiz's suspension was connected to gaming.


MLB stated Ortiz's paid leave is through the end of the All-Star break, when players return to their groups July 17 and video games resume the following day. It can be extended if the investigation remains ongoing.


Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis L. Ortiz tosses tot he Athletics during the seventh inning of a baseball game Saturday, June 21, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)


Chris Antonetti, Cleveland ´ s president of baseball operations, stated before Thursday night's 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 remembered from Triple-A Columbus. Cantillo is 1-0 with one save and a 3.81 ERA in 21 looks this season.


"We learned extremely little last night, but knew we needed to get someone here today to begin today ´ s game, which actually was our focus," Antonetti stated. "A lot has come out today, which ´ s far more information than we have.


"Our focus is we ´ ll let the play out. To the extent Big league Baseball or anyone needs our assistance in that, we will certainly cooperate. But beyond that, there ´ s truly very little we can do."


Manager Stephen Vogt stated he and Antonetti dealt with the team about Ortiz's circumstance and attempted to respond to questions the finest they could.


It is another obstacle for a Guardians team that has actually dropped a season-high six straight video games and is 9-18 given that May 1.


"Honestly, when I got the news the other day I didn ´ t understand how to feel," Vogt stated. "There ´ s a lot unknowns with this, but you understand what? Every group goes through adversity, possibly different kinds, however this is a resistant group. I ´ ve been through circumstances similar to this before in my profession as a gamer, and what would I have wished to hear? How would I want the supervisor to have actually reacted, which ´ s what I ´ m attempting to do."


The 26-year old Ortiz is in his very 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 9 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 betting, consisting of a life time ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. MLB stated Marcano put 387 baseball bets amounting to more than $150,000 with a legal sportsbook in 2022 and 2023.


Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and 3 small leaguers - San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez - gotten one-year suspensions.


Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Major League Baseball in February for sharing his legal sports betting accounts with a pal who banked on baseball video games and for intentionally erasing electronic messages significant to the league ´ s investigation.


Freelance author Matt Carlson in Chicago contributed to this report.