Trial Starts for Former Major League Slugger Yasiel Puig

Posted on: January 21, 2026, 09:39h. 

Last updated on: January 21, 2026, 10:04h.

Mark Keast Read More
Expertise: Canadian Gaming, iGaming, Las Vegas, Sports Betting, NFL, Boxing, UFC.
  • Trial for former MLB slugger starts in Los Angeles
  • Puig charged for alleged involvement in illegal sports betting ring
  • Puig staring at possible 20 years in jail

Former major league outfielder Yasiel Puig said in 2022 he wanted to go to trial to “clear his name” after being charged for his alleged involvement in an illegal sports betting operation, and now he is getting his chance.

Yasiel Puig of Tiburones de La Guaira of Venezuela looks on from the dugout during a game between Venezuela and Mexico in Miami in February 2024. (Image: Luis Gutierrez/Norte Photo/Getty Images)

Puig’s trial started Tuesday in a Los Angeles courtroom. He faces one count of obstruction of justice and two counts of making false statements to federal investigators over his alleged involvement in an illegal sports betting business when he was asked about his involvement with bookies. If convicted on all counts, Puig is looking at a combined maximum of 20 years in prison.

Federal prosecutors allege Puig, 35, made false statements to them on several occasions in 2022 over his role in the gambling operation. Prosecutors say Puig made 899 wagers on sports (not on baseball, though) between May and September 2019 via an illegal gambling operation run by a former minor league pitcher, Wayne Nix. Puig sent Nix $200K to cover a portion of the $282,900 in losses the ballplayer accumulated, federal prosecutors allege.

His defense team disputed that, according to reporting. Puig has never denied that he was a big gambler.

Opted Out of Agreement

Puig made a deal with prosecutors in August 2022, agreeing to plead guilty to one count of lying to federal investigators in exchange for closing the case. However, Puig later changed his mind and pulled out of the agreement. He was charged by federal prosecutors in January 2023.

Puig, who was born in Cuba, was a talented and flashy right fielder who burst onto the scene with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2013, where he hit 19 home runs and generated 42 RBIs in 104 games that season. He was an all-star in 2014.

Puig was with the Dodgers for six of his seven years in MLB. He also played for the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians in 2019. Over his career, Puig hit .277, with 132 HRs, 415 RBIs, with an .823 OPS over 861 games.

He later signed with professional teams in Mexico, South Korea, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic.