MLB star placed on leave as gambling investigation sparked following suspicious throws
Gambling suspicions have been raised regarding Luis Ortiz, who has been put on leave.
Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave after an investigation into gambling was opened up following suspicious betting patterns regarding his pitching that was flagged by a betting-integrity company.
The move from the MLB to inspect the irregular movement came just hours before Ortiz was scheduled to start against the Chicago Cubs.
The first flagged pitch from the 26-year-old happened on June 15, when Ortiz’s first throw of the second inning to Randy Arozarena of the Seattle Mariners was notably off target.
The second incident occurred on June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals. During the top of the third inning, his throw was again marked by a significant miss, even causing the commentators to joke about how misplaced it was.
In both cases, an unusual amount of gambling activity around the success of the poor pitches caused the company overseeing the odds and bets to raise the red flag.
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 could see ban extended
A statement from the Cleveland Guardians, who are on a six-game losing streak at the time of writing, said that they are “not permitted to make any comment at this time” and that they will “respect the league’s confidential investigative process.”
ESPN report that Ortiz “will go on paid leave through July 17″ but it “could be extended if MLB’s investigation remains open past that date.”
Acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates in December 2024, Ortiz has made 16 starts for the Guardians this season, posting a 4–9 record with a 4.36 ERA over 88.2 innings. He struck out 96 batters and allowed a 1.38 WHIP.
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 3, 2025
While MLB players are not allowed to bet on baseball or softball at any level, they are allowed to place bets on other sports. If he is indeed found guilty, punishments could be severe: MLB banned former infielder Tucupita Marcano for life in 2024 after it was found that he bet on his own team while recovering from injury.
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