Guardians Move Clase and Ortiz to Unpaid Non-Disciplinary Leave
Posted on: March 21, 2026, 09:29h.
Last updated on: March 21, 2026, 09:39h.
- Cleveland Guardians move pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz to unpaid non-disciplinary leave
- Both pitchers are scheduled to go on trial in May for their alleged involvement in an illegal gambling scheme
- Guardians open up season this Thursday against the Seattle Mariners
The Cleveland Guardians have transferred pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, both awaiting trial for their alleged roles in an illegal gambling scheme, to unpaid non-disciplinary leave, as the new MLB season is set to start.
Unpaid Leave
The decision came about after an agreement between the MLB and the MLB Players Association, ESPN reported. The players had originally been placed on paid disciplinary leave last summer.
Ortiz and Clase were indicted last November, and are scheduled to go to trial May 4, likely to be moved to the fall.
As the legal proceedings involving Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz continue to move forward, MLB and the MLBPA have agreed that both players will remain on non-disciplinary leave from the club without pay until further notice,” Major League Baseball said in a statement sent to Associated Press.
$20 Million Contract
“This agreement is not an admission of any wrongdoing by Clase or Ortiz. MLB has been closely monitoring the matter since alerting federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and will have no further comment until its investigation has been completed.”
Clase was scheduled to make USD $6.4 million this season with the Guardians (5-year, $20 million extension signed in 2022), according to Spotrac. Ortiz’s contract expired last season. Since he is in the pre-arbitration phase, he was set to make the league minimum $780,000 this season if he was removed from the restricted list and pitched in the major leagues.
Rigged Pitches
Both players are alleged to have been the central figures in an illegal prop and parlay betting scheme, who according to federal prosecutors rigged their pitches during major league games, deliberately tossing pitches into the dirt or outside the plate, in order to help gamblers in their native Dominican Republic cash in on wagers. Clase and Ortiz are accused of having accepted thousands of dollars in payoffs for their involvement in the scheme.
Clase has been accused of betting his own money. Federal prosecutors also said he was sending messages to gamblers over his mobile phone during one MLB game that a rigged pitch was on the way, enabling a gambler to win $27,000. The gamblers in Dominican Republic are said to have made more than $400,000 making more than 100 in-game bets.
All-Star Pitcher
The two pitchers have been charged with with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on the wire fraud conspiracy count, 20 years’ imprisonment on the honest services wire fraud conspiracy count, five years’ imprisonment on the conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery count, and 20 years’ imprisonment on the money laundering conspiracy count.
Both players have pleaded not guilty, and are free on bail as they await trial. Clase, for one, was a key cog in the Guardians’ pitching staff, a reliever who had 24 saves in 48 games before being shut down last July because of the investigation. Clase had 42, 44, and 47 saves in 2022, 2023, and 2024, respectively. He was a two-time All-MLB 1st Team All-Star in 2022 and 2024.
The Guardians open up their 2026 season in Seattle against Mariners this Thursday.
No comments yet