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Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz will take unpaid leave while they await trial for alleged pitch tampering, Major League Baseball announced Friday.
The relievers were originally placed on non-disciplinary paid leave when they were first investigated over the summer.
“This agreement is not an admission of any wrongdoing by Clase or Ortiz. MLB has been closely monitoring the matter since alerting federal authorities at the beginning of its investigation and will not be commenting further until its investigation is complete,” MLB said, adding that the change came about through an agreement between the league and the players’ association.
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Emmanuel Clase, left, and Luis Ortiz, were charged in a federal gambling investigation on Nov. 9, 2025. (Image)
Clase is accused of making suspicious pitches to benefit those who bet on him in at least 48 games, according to to ESPN. The initial indictment filed in November accused Clase of rigging pitches in specific games between May 2023 and June 2025.
In one case, the indictment alleges, Clase used his phone in the middle of a game to coordinate with a bettor on a pitch he would throw.
class pleaded not guilty on charges of accepting bribes to help players win bets on their pitches. He was released on $600,000 bail, surrendered his passport and was ordered to limit his travel to New York and Ohio, refrain from gambling and submit to GPS monitoring.
Bettors allegedly won $400,000 from betting platforms on launches run by Clase between 2023 and 2025. Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme in June 2025.
MLB player Emmanuel Clase in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, Nov. 13, 2025. Clase faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sports competitions by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. (Christine Cornell)
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The announcement of the indictment came weeks after three NBA figures were implicated in an FBI operation involving alleged illegal gambling. Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were among more than two dozen arrested in the scheme.
Clase became arguably the best closer in the game, pitching to a 1.21 ERA in his last full season in 2024, which was good for him finishing third in American League Cy Young Award voting. His effectiveness in 2025 was 3.80 when he was investigated. Ortiz has a lifetime ERA of 4.36, and his best season also came in 2024 with a 3.32 ERA.
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz remain on leave amid a betting investigation. (David Dermer and Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn)
Clase signed a five-year, $20 million contract just before Opening Day 2022, a few months after finishing fifth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. Ortiz was making the veteran’s minimum of $782,600 last season because he was not yet arbitration eligible.
