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Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz will take an unpaid leave of absence while awaiting trial for allegedly fixing pitches, Major League Baseball announced Friday.
The relievers were initially placed on paid non-disciplinary leave when they were first investigated over the summer.
“This agreement does not constitute an admission of wrongdoing on the part of Clase or Ortiz. MLB has been closely monitoring the matter since it alerted federal law enforcement early in its investigation and will make no further comment until its investigation is complete,” MLB said, adding that the change was the result of an agreement between the league and the players’ association.
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Emmanuel Clase, left, and Luis Ortiz, were indicted in a federal gambling investigation on November 9, 2025. (Imagn)
Clase is accused of throwing suspicious pitches for the benefit of those who bet on him in at least 48 games, according to at ESPN. The initial indictment filed in November accused Clase of fixing pitches in specific matches between May 2023 and June 2025.
In one case, according to the indictment, Clase used his phone in the middle of a game to coordinate with a punter on a pitch he would throw.
Class pleaded not guilty According to accusations, he accepted bribes to help players win bets on his slots. He was released on $600,000 bail, surrendered his passport and ordered to limit his travel in New York and Ohio, refrain from gambling and submit to GPS monitoring.
Bettors would have won $400,000 on betting platforms on throws launched by Clase between 2023 and 2025. Ortiz would have joined the program in June 2025.
MLB player Emmanuel Clase in federal court in Brooklyn, NY on November 13, 2025. Clase faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to corruptly influence sports competitions and money laundering conspiracy. (Christine Cornell)
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The announcement of the indictment came weeks after three NBA figures were implicated in an FBI operation involving alleged illegal gambling. Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were among more than two dozen arrested in the operation.
Clase became arguably the game’s best closer, with a 1.21 ERA in his final full season in 2024, which was good for a third-place finish in American League Cy Young Award voting. His 2025 ERA was 3.80 at the time he was investigated. Ortiz owns a 4.36 ERA lifetime, with his best season also coming in 2024 with a 3.32 ERA.
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz remain on leave amid a gambling investigation. (David Dermer and Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn)
Clase signed a five-year, $20 million contract just before Opening Day in 2022, months after finishing fifth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Ortiz made the veteran minimum of $782,600 last season because he was not yet arbitration eligible.
