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Major League Baseball placed Luis Ortiz on non-disciplinary paid leave due to an investigation into gambling on July 3 – about three and a half weeks later, two-time American League Reliever of the Year Emmanuel Clase joined him.
Despite the devastating blows to the pitching staff, the Cleveland Guardians rallied to win the American League Central, overcoming a double-digit deficit during the month of September.
The Detroit Tigers had the last laugh, eliminating Cleveland in the Wild Card Series and forcing the Guardians to look ahead to 2026.
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Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz remain on leave amid investigation into gambling ahead of the World Series. (David Dermer and Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn)
However, a big question mark for next season still looms: Will Clase and Ortiz be available?
On August 31, MLB extended the paid leave of Clase and Ortiz “until further notice while MLB continues its investigation.”
When asked if there was an update on the status of the pitchers, they directed PK Press Club Digital to their August statement.
PK Press Club Digital asked the spokesperson about the status of the investigation, or if there was an estimate of when it would be completed, but no update was provided.
This non-update comes two days before the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays, where the biggest superstar in the Fall Classic – and arguably in sports – found himself in a gambling controversy last year.
Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase delivers during the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles, Wednesday, July 23, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Phil Long)
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Ultimately, it was ruled that Shohei Ohtani had actually been defrauded when his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole millions of dollars from him to pay off his gambling debts. Ohtani was absolved of any wrongdoing fairly quickly, while there is no word from the Guardians’ pitchers three months later.
Ortiz’s investigation was related to in-play prop bets on two pitches he threw during a game against the Seattle Mariners on June 15 and the St. Louis Cardinals on June 27. A betting integrity company reported the possible issue and forwarded it to the league.
Then, on June 27, more unusual betting took place on an Ortiz pitch in the top of the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. Once again, the bets were on a hit ball or batter, and Ortiz made another pitch that the catcher couldn’t handle.
The company reported unusual betting action on the first pitch thrown by Ortiz in the bottom of the second inning as a hit ball or batter. Ortiz drove a slider into the ground away from the strike zone.
Luis Ortiz of the Cleveland Guardians pitches the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Cleveland, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)
At the time of his leave, Clase had a 3.23 ERA on the season. In 2024, it was only 0.61.
Both pitchers attempted to play in the Dominican Winter League, but were reportedly banned due to the investigation.
