MLB pitcher Luis Ortiz under investigation for gambling: reports

Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News on Jul 3, 2025

Published in Baseball

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Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on paid leave Thursday and is facing a gambling investigation from the league, according to multiple reports.

Ortiz, 26, was expected to start the Guardians’ game Thursday night against the Chicago Cubs but will instead be on leave through July 18, the Athletic reported. Multiple sources told the outlet Ortiz was under investigation for gambling.

The specifics of the probe have not been publicly released.

“The Guardians have been notified that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation,” the team said in a statement. “The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league’s confidential investigative process.”

Last year, former San Diego Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned from MLB for life for betting on games.

At the time, four other players — Michael Kelly, Jay Groome, Andrew Saalfrank and Jose Rodriguez — were suspended for one year for betting less than $1,000 on major league games while they were in the minor leagues.

MLB is hardly the only league to face such gambling problems since the Supreme Court ended a nationwide ban on sports betting in 2018. In the NBA, Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter was banned for life for his role in a betting scheme that focused on his participation in Raptors games.

Two more players, guards Terry Rozier and Malik Beasley, have also been investigated by federal authorities and the league for suspicious betting.

And in the NFL, wide receiver Calvin Ridley was suspended for one year for betting on Atlanta Falcons games while he was away from the team.

Several other NFL players faced shorter suspensions for other violations of the league’s gambling policy; many were bench players who were eventually released.