The MLB has extended Cleveland Guardian pitcher Luis Ortiz’s paid leave as the investigation into suspicious betting patterns continues.
On Friday it was announced the MLB and MLBPA had agreed to prolong the player’s non-disciplinary paid leave – originally due to end after the All-Star break – through games on August 31 as the league combs through all the evidence.
Earlier this month, it was revealed a pair of Ortiz pitches had received unusual gambling activity.
Luis Ortiz Gambling Investigation Explained
The MLB is looking into two specific pitches that Ortiz threw. The first on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners and the second on June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
In both incidents, Ortiz threw a first-pitch slider that was well outside the strike zone. Later, betting-integrity firm IC360 sent an alert to online casinos regarding some potential foul play.
Betting on the result of first pitches is available with some sports betting apps and the alert flagged wagers in Ohio, New York and New Jersey.
WATCH: Luis Ortiz’s First Suspicious Pitch Vs Seattle Mariners
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
WATCH: Luis Ortiz’s Second Suspicious Pitch Vs St. Louis Cardinals
Guardians pitcher, Luis Ortiz, is being looked into on ties to a betting scandal.
Here’s one of the pitches being reviewed, where an “irregular influx of bets” came in on the first pitch of the 3rd inning being a ball…
I mean…😳
— ClutchPoints Betting (@CPBetting) July 3, 2025
What Punishment Is Luis Ortiz Facing If Found Guilty?
A year ago, the MLB punished five players for different gambling offences including a lifetime ban for San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano who wagered on his own team.
The four others received a one-year suspension. Ortiz’s situation is different to Marcano’s, who didn’t appear in any of the games he placed bets on.
The MLB is trying to find out whether or not Ortiz was pre-determining the outcome of certain pitches and if found guilty there is no doubt he will also receive a ban for life.
The league even fired umpire Pat Hoberg after discovering he shared a sports betting account with a friend who wagered on baseball.
Joe Lyons is a betting industry writer for GamblingIndustryNews with years of experience on reputable gambling websites. Joe specialises in long form content in the world of sports betting and gambling. Joe is recognised as an expert in sports fields such as horse racing, soccer, NFL and NBA.
