Cleveland Guardians pitchers remain on leave amid gambling probe

Major League Baseball is wrestling with the fallout from legalized sports betting again. Now, the Cleveland Guardians’ pitching staff is smack in the middle of a high-profile gambling probe.

MLB said pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz will stay on paid, nondisciplinary leave while investigators dig deeper. Suspicious betting activity surfaced, tied to two of Ortiz’s appearances in June 2025.

This drama could stain the players’ reputations. It also adds pressure on the league, which already struggles to keep the game’s integrity intact as wagering explodes.

MLB Extends Paid Leave for Clase and Ortiz

Both Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz remain off the active roster for now. The MLB Players Association agreed to extend their nondisciplinary leave, and there’s no clear end date in sight.

The original leave was supposed to end August 31, but the league decided investigators needed more time because the case is complicated. Indefinite leave isn’t something you see often in baseball, so the union’s agreement hints that this is serious business.

The pitchers will still get paid, but the Guardians’ bullpen feels the pressure. It’s a tough time to lose two arms when every game matters.

How the Investigation Began

Sources say the whole thing kicked off when sportsbooks noticed unusual betting patterns linked to Ortiz’s outings. These weren’t typical win-or-lose bets.

This time, the focus was on microbets—tiny, real-time wagers on specific events in the game. People placed suspicious bets on things like whether Ortiz would throw a ball or hit a batter in a certain inning.

The games under scrutiny:

• June 15, 2025, vs. Seattle Mariners
• June 27, 2025, vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Investigators haven’t filed formal accusations. Neither pitcher faces suspension at this point.

The Rising Risk of Microbets in Professional Sports

The Ortiz case puts a glaring spotlight on microbetting, one of the fastest-growing—and honestly, most controversial—corners of the betting world. Instead of betting on the final score, fans can now gamble on stuff that happens moment-to-moment, like a single pitch or play.

These bets settle in minutes, not hours. That means more volume, and frankly, more chances for things to get shady.

Why Prop Bets Create Integrity Concerns

Prop and microbet markets focus on really specific, sometimes obscure, game scenarios. These are things someone could influence without changing who wins or loses.

That makes these bets tough to spot, tough to regulate, and honestly, more tempting for anyone who’s got inside info or a player in their pocket. Integrity experts warn that these wagers can lead to “spot-fixing”—manipulating just a small part of a game, which still chips away at public trust and fairness.

Comparisons with the NFL’s Approach

This scandal puts MLB in the hot seat, but the NFL hasn’t had a gambling mess quite like this. Still, the NFL’s transparency record isn’t spotless.

Back in 2023, the Atlanta Falcons got fined for not disclosing running back Bijan Robinson’s illness before a game. That broke injury report rules and got people wondering if hidden health info could mess with betting outcomes.

Lessons Across Leagues

The NFL’s case wasn’t about gambling misconduct by players, but it shows how thin the line is. Even small lapses in reporting can shake up betting markets and raise questions about fairness.

The Bigger Picture: Integrity in the Age of Legal Betting

The Guardians’ ordeal highlights a big challenge for professional sports. How do you protect integrity when legal sports betting keeps expanding?

Millions of dollars move through both legal and illegal betting channels. Even a single incident can hurt reputations and make fans question what’s real.

MLB’s response to this case might set the tone for future investigations. Especially with new risks from microbets and proposition wagers, there’s a lot riding on how this plays out.

The outcome could become a model—or maybe a warning sign—for other leagues that are wrestling with the messy overlap of sports and gambling.

As the baseball season nears its peak, Cleveland can’t help but feel distracted. The off-field drama is a reminder that, these days, games aren’t just happening on the diamond—they’re playing out on betting slips everywhere.

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Here is the source article for this story: Guardians’ pitchers will remain on leave in gambling probe “until further notice”