Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz, who was scheduled to start against the Cubs Thursday night, was placed on non-disciplinary leave on Thursday due to a gambling investigation by Major League Baseball, two people with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.
The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the nature of the investigation.
The investigation is related to in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by Ortiz that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and his recent outing against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.
ESPN reported the firm IC360 recently also sent an alert to sportsbook operators regarding Ortiz.
The Athletic was the first to report that Ortiz’s suspension was related to gambling.
MLB said Ortiz’s paid leave is through the end of the All-Star break, when players return to their teams July 17 and games resume the following day. It can be extended if the investigation remains ongoing.
MLB and the Guardians had no further comment on the investigation. Ortiz returned to Cleveland on Wednesday night.
The 26-year old Ortiz is in his first season with Cleveland after he was 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 big-league seasons, Ortiz is 16-22 with a 4.05 ERA and one save.
The Guardians will recall left-hander Joey Cantillo from Triple-A Columbus to start Thursday’s game vs. the Cubs. Cantillo is 1-0 with one save and a 3.81 ERA in 21 appearances this season.
Cleveland (40-44) has dropped a season-high six straight games and is 9-18 since May 1.
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 — received one-year suspensions.
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.
The Cubs beat the Guardians 5-4 on Wednesday.
By Maddie Lee
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You know what would be just as helpful to the Cubs as trading for a quality starter? If their highest-paid pitcher at $18 million a year got himself into top gear and stayed there.
Crow-Armstrong and Tucker are lined up to become the first pair of Cubs outfielders to start the All-Star Game since 1936.
By Maddie Lee
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