Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of a Major League Baseball investigation into sports betting.

Clase, a three-time All-Star, becomes the second Guardians pitcher to be placed on leave in connection with a sports gambling probe. Luis Ortiz also is on non-disciplinary leave through Aug. 31.

It was unclear if the cases were related in any way. The Guardians said in a statement that they “have been informed that no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted.”

The 27-year-old Clase is 5-3 with 24 saves in 48 games this year, but he also has a career-high 3.23 ERA. The right-hander led the AL in saves in each of the previous three years and was speculated to be sought after in trades ahead of this week’s MLB trade deadline.

MLB said in a statement that Clase had been placed on leave per an agreement with the players’ association while the league “continues its sports betting investigation.” It declined further comment.

Cleveland was slated to begin a three-game series against Colorado on Monday night. The Guardians are second in the AL Central with a 52-53 record.

The Ortiz investigation is related to in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by the right-hander that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.

The situation with Clase and Ortiz comes after MLB suspended five players for gambling in June 2024, 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 Andrew Saalfrank and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez — received one-year suspensions.

20 Years OfFreeJournalism

Your Support Fuels Our Mission

Your Support Fuels Our Mission

For two decades, HuffPost has been fearless, unflinching, and relentless in pursuit of the truth. Support our mission to keep us around for the next 20 — we can’t do this without you.

We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.

Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.

We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves.

Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again.

Support HuffPost

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 electronic messages pertinent to the league’s investigation.

source

Leave a Reply

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

You May Also Like

Fans Can’t Get Enough Of Pop-Tart Football Mascot Who Craved Being Eaten

“I’m going to think of this clip any time I toast a…

Vanderbilt Takes Down No. 1 Alabama 40-35 In Historic College Football Victory

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Fans of the Vanderbilt Commodores danced onto the…

This Could Be The Worst Overlooked Penalty Of The NFL Season

Consider supporting HuffPost starting at $2 to help us provide free, quality…

Frankie Muniz Of 'Malcolm In The Middle' Fame Will Drive Full-Time In NASCAR Next Year

Former “Malcolm in the Middle” star Frankie Muniz is set to continue…