Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is the topic of a Big league Baseball betting investigation and was put on non-disciplinary leave Thursday, two people with knowledge of the examination told The Associated Press.
The individuals talked to the AP on condition of privacy due to the nature of the examination.
The investigation belongs to in-game prop bets on 2 pitches thrown by Ortiz that got greater activity than normal during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and his recent outing versus St. Louis on June 27. The gaming activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.
ESPN reported the company IC360 recently likewise sent out an alert to sportsbook operators concerning 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 groups July 17 and games resume the following day. It can be extended if the investigation remains ongoing.
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis L. Ortiz tosses toddler he Athletics throughout the seventh inning of a baseball video game Saturday, June 21, 2025, in West Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Sara Nevis)
Chris Antonetti, Cleveland ´ s president of baseball operations, said before Thursday night's game at the Chicago Cubs that the team can continue to have contact with Ortiz, but he can't get in any of the Guardians' facilities. 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 recalled from Triple-A Columbus. Cantillo is 1-0 with one save and a 3.81 ERA in 21 appearances this season.
"We found out really little last night, but knew we needed to get someone here today to start today ´ s game, and that really was our focus," Antonetti stated. "A lot has come out today, which ´ s far more info than we have.
"Our focus is we ´ ll let the investigative procedure play out. To the level Big league Baseball or anyone needs our assistance in that, we will obviously work together. But beyond that, there ´ s really not much we can do."
Manager Stephen Vogt stated he and Antonetti attended to the team about Ortiz's situation and tried to respond to concerns the very best they could.
It is another setback for a Guardians squad that has actually dropped a season-high 6 straight games and is 9-18 since May 1.
"Honestly, when I got the news yesterday I didn ´ t understand how to feel," Vogt stated. "There ´ s so much unknowns with this, but you know what? Every group goes through misfortune, maybe various kinds, however this is a resilient group. I ´ ve been through circumstances comparable to this before in my career as a player, and what would I have wanted to hear? How would I desire the manager to have actually reacted, and that ´ s what I ´ m attempting to do."
The 26-year old Ortiz is in his first season with Cleveland after he was gotten 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 connected for the most in the American League.
In 4 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 5 players for gambling, including a lifetime restriction for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano. MLB said 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 minor leaguers - San Diego pitcher Jay Groome, Arizona pitcher and Philadelphia infielder José Rodríguez - received 1 year suspensions.
Umpire Pat Hoberg was fired by Big league Baseball in February for sharing his legal sports gambling accounts with a pal who banked on baseball video games and for deliberately deleting electronic messages important to the league ´ s examination.
Freelance author Matt Carlson in Chicago added to this report.