Another Cleveland Guardians pitcher has been placed on leave by Major League Baseball as part of a gambling investigation.
Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on paid leave Monday, according to a statement that was released by the team. The statement suggested that the decision to place Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave is related to the same investigation that involves Cleveland starting pitcher Luis Ortiz.
“The Guardians have been notified by Major League Baseball that as part of their sports betting investigation Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave per an agreement with the Players Association,” the statement read. “We have been informed that no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted.”
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 28, 2025
Ortiz has been on leave since July 3. MLB initially stated that he would remain out through the All-Star break, but his leave has since been extended until at least Aug. 31.
The initial investigation was launched after a betting-integrity firm flagged suspicious wagering activity related to two different pitches that Ortiz threw in June. There was a notable amount of activity from bettors who wagered on Ortiz to miss the strike zone or hit the batter on two specific pitches.
Both pitches were well outside the strike zone, with one bouncing in the dirt. You can see the videos here.
It is not yet clear if similar allegations have been made involving pitches that were thrown by Clase.
Clase has a 3.23 ERA across 48 appearances this season. The right-hander has saved 24 games in 29 tries and has 47 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings.
The Guardians entered Monday with a record of 52-53. They are eight games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central and 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot.
MLB has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to gambling on baseball. Last year, San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned from MLB for life after an investigation revealed he placed tens of thousands of dollars in MLB-related wagers. Not long after that, an umpire was fired over a different gambling probe.
