Major League Baseball is investigating Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz over suspicious gambling activity related to two of his pitches, and neither pitch was anywhere close to the strike zone.
Ortiz on Thursday was placed on what MLB called “non-disciplinary paid leave” through at least the All-Star break, which ends on July 18. While the league did not share any details, reports have since revealed that the investigation pertains to gambling.
A betting-integrity firm reportedly flagged suspicious wagering activity on two different pitches that Ortiz threw in June. Both pitches were the first of an inning, and money was bet on Ortiz missing the strike zone either with a ball or a hit by pitch.
Jomboy tracked down the two pitches that reportedly led to MLB’s investigation. The first was the first pitch of the bottom of the second inning of Cleveland’s June 15 road game against the Seattle Mariners. The second was the first pitch of the third inning in the Guardians’ June 27 home game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Both pitches missed the zone and bounced in the dirt. The second appeared to be multiple feet outside the strike zone.
MLB's investigation into Luis Ortiz is about these two individual pitches which received action flagged by a betting-integrity firm, per @JeffPassan pic.twitter.com/2zvZhmrTlJ
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) July 3, 2025
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.
Ortiz’s paid leave was an agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association and could potentially be extended, depending on how long the investigation takes.
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.
