Guardians Empty Lockers of Pitchers In MLB Sports Betting Investigation

• According to the Athletic’s Zack Meisel, the Guardians have emptied the lockers of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz
• The two pitchers are currently a part of an MLB sports betting investigation
• Both are on non-disciplinary paid leave through at least Aug. 31

Two Cleveland Guardians pitchers currently involved in a Major League Baseball sports betting investigation have had their lockers cleared out by the team, according to a reporter from The Athletic.

According to The Athletic’s Zack Meisel, the Cleveland Guardians recently cleared out the lockers of pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase, both of whom are on non-disciplinary paid leave through at least Aug. 31.

Both pitchers are currently involved in a MLB sports betting investigation.

Both Players Remain on Leave

Meisel reported the news on Friday, Aug. 1.

No official statement has been made by the Guardians on the reason for the clean out.

The Guardians initially placed starting pitcher Ortiz on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 3 after he became the subject of an MLB gambling investigation. A firm that monitors betting activity reported suspicious wagering on two separate pitches thrown by Ortiz during two games he started.

The firm noted suspicious betting volumes on two separate pitches during his June 15 and June 27 starts against the Seattle Mariners and St. Louis Cardinals, respectively.

Larger than normal amounts of money were placed on whether Ortiz would throw a strike or ball in a certain inning.

Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave on Monday, July 28. Clase, a star reliever for the Guardians and a player many expected to be moved by the club prior to the July 31 trade deadline, will remain on leave through at least Aug. 31 as per an agreement with the Players Association.

Ohio Gov. DeWine Tired of Prop Betting Issues

Gov. Mike DeWine (R) has seen enough of prop betting, and sports betting scandals involving Ohio athletes, in the Buckeye State. Gov. DeWine last week called on the Ohio Casino Control Commission to remove prop betting markets from Ohio, in part due to MLB’s investigation into Clase and Ortiz.

Gov. DeWine pointed to micro prop-bets on highly controllable moments within a game that can be influenced by a single athlete as particularly troublesome.

“The evidence that prop betting is harming athletics in Ohio is reaching critical mass. First, there were threats on Ohio athletes, and now two high-profile Ohio professional athletes have been suspended by Major League Baseball as part of a ‘sports betting investigation,’” DeWine said. “The harm to athletes and the integrity of the game is clear, and the benefits are not worth the harm. The prop betting experiment in this country has failed badly. I call on the Casino Control Commission to correct this problem and remove all prop bets from the Ohio marketplace.”

In addition to ensuring the integrity of outcomes, Gov. DeWine pointed to the ever increasing number of threats to athletes from sports betting customers. Ohio was one of the first states to completely prohibit college player prop bets in February 2024 after NCAA President Charlie Baker requested the ban.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission has yet to make a determination on DeWine’s request, but acknowledged it is gathering information to make its decision.