Written by :
Published on :
Per an ESPN report by Jeff Passan, Cleveland Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz is under investigation by Major League Baseball for breaking the league's rules on sports gambling. He was placed on "non-disciplinary paid leave" Thursday through July 17.
Now Offering a 100% Welcome Bonus
From ESPN:
The probe into Ortiz's alleged betting 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.
AdvertisingThe 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, a 26-year-old starting pitcher, 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.
The news comes days after it was revealed that NBA star Malik Beasley is also under investigation for alleged gambling infractions.
Beasley has not been charged with any crime. Federal investigators, who have not commented publicly, are looking into betting patterns surrounding some games Beasley played in during the 2023-24 season when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The primary focus of the probe is what are called “prop bets,” ones where bettors can wager if a player will go over or under a certain statistical total — like will he score more than 10.5 points, grab 5.5 or more rebounds, that sort of thing.
|
|
