Major League Baseball and its players association extended the non-disciplinary paid leave of Cleveland Guardians right-handers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz “until further notice” amid an ongoing sports betting investigation.
Ortiz and Clase were placed on leave July 3 and July 28, respectively. The leave had been set to expire on Sunday prior to the extension.
“We have been informed of the extension and will continue to fully cooperate with the investigation,” the Guardians said in a statement.
The regular season ends Sept. 28.
Clase, 27, is 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA and 24 saves in 48 appearances this season. He led the American League in saves and made the All-Star team in each of the three previous campaigns and had a career-high 47 saves in 2024.
Clase is 21-26 with 182 saves and a 1.88 ERA in 366 career games (one start) with the Texas Rangers (2019) and the Guardians.
According to reports, Ortiz’s investigation focuses on in-game prop bets involving two pitches that garnered higher activity than usual. One was tossed in a June 15 game against the Seattle Mariners, and another on June 27 versus the St. Louis Cardinals.
Ortiz, 26, is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts this season. The native of the Dominican Republic was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a three-team trade that included the Toronto Blue Jays on Dec. 10.
