Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz was positioned on paid administrative go away earlier this month amid a playing investigation, and it will likely be fairly some time earlier than he’s eligible to return.
Main League Baseball introduced on July 3 that Ortiz had been positioned on “non-disciplinary paid go away” by at the least the All-Star break. That go away has now been prolonged by at the least Aug. 31, the Guardians introduced Friday.
Ortiz is underneath investigation after a betting-integrity agency flagged suspicious wagering exercise associated to 2 completely different pitches the right-hander threw in June. There was a notable quantity of exercise from bettors who wagered on Ortiz to overlook the strike zone or hit the batter on two particular pitches.
Each pitches had been effectively outdoors the strike zone, with one bouncing within the grime. You’ll be able to see the movies right here.
Ortiz, 26, spent the primary three seasons of his profession with the Pittsburgh Pirates earlier than being traded to the Guardians final winter. He’s 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 begins this season.
MLB has a zero-tolerance coverage relating to playing on baseball. Final yr, San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned from MLB for all times after an investigation revealed he positioned tens of 1000’s of {dollars} in MLB-related wagers. Not lengthy after that, an umpire was fired over a unique playing probe.
Ortiz’s paid go away is an settlement between MLB and the MLB Gamers Affiliation and will probably be prolonged even additional, relying on how lengthy the investigation takes.
