Cleveland Indians pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on paid administrative leave earlier this month amid a gambling investigation, and it will be quite a while before he is eligible to return.
Major League Baseball announced on July 3 that Ortiz had been placed on “non-disciplinary paid leave” through at least the All-Star break. That leave has now been extended through at least Aug. 31, the league said Friday.
Ortiz is under investigation after a betting-integrity firm flagged suspicious wagering activity related to two different pitches the right-hander 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.
Ortiz, 26, spent the first three seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates before being traded to the Guardians last winter. He is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts this season.
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.
Ortiz’s paid leave is an agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association and could potentially be extended even further, depending on how long the investigation takes.
