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Major League Baseball placed Luis Ortiz on non-disciplinary paid leave due to a gambling probe on July 3 — roughly 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-game deficit in the month of September.
The Detroit Tigers got the last laugh, eliminating Cleveland in the Wild Card Series and forcing the Guardians to look to 2026.
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Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz remain on leave amid a gambling probe as the World Series approaches. (David Dermer and Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn)
However, one big question mark for next season still looms — will Clase and Ortiz be available?
On Aug. 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 pitchers’ statuses, they directed Digital to their August statement.
Digital asked the spokesperson how far along the investigation was, or if there was an estimate on when it would conclude, to which no update was provided.
The 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 the sport – 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 was actually a victim of fraud when his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole millions of dollars from him to pay off gambling debts. Ohtani was absolved of any wrongdoing rather quickly, while there remains no news on the Guardians pitchers three months later.
The Ortiz investigation was related to in-game prop bets on two pitches he threw in a game against the Seattle Mariners on June 15 and the St. Louis Cardinals on June 27. A betting-integrity firm flagged the possible issue and forwarded it to the league.
Then, on June 27, more unusual betting action came in on a pitch from Ortiz in the top of the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals. Once again, the bets were on a ball or a hit batsman, and Ortiz proceeded to spike another pitch the catcher couldn’t handle.
The firm flagged unusual betting action on the first pitch thrown by Ortiz in the bottom of the second inning to be a ball or hit batsman. Ortiz spiked a slider into the ground far away from the strike zone.
Cleveland Guardians’ Luis Ortiz pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Cleveland, April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, file)
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At the time of his leave, Clase had a 3.23 ERA on the season. In 2024, it was a minuscule 0.61.
Both pitchers attempted to play in the Dominican Winter League, but were reportedly banned due to the probe.
‘ Scott Thompson contributed to this report.
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