In July, Major League Baseball placed Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase on administrative leave for suspicious betting activity in games that they pitched in. Neither player can enter any of the team’s facilities during their time away from the American League Central club.
Their leave will be complete on August 31, but it appears the investigation will extend beyond that. Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports reported on Sunday that MLB and the players’ union will likely extend their leave into the offseason.
With time running out in the regular season, the odds of Ortiz or Clase returning to a Major League mound this year are slim. What do their teammates think about the situation?
Guardians Players Speak Out
With 34 games remaining on their regular-season schedule, the Guardians sit 12.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central standings and four games behind the Seattle Mariners for the third Wild Card spot.
Cleveland has lost eight of its last 10 games and suffered a 10-game losing streak that began at the end of June and ended on July 7. Amid their losing ways, the news broke about Ortiz on July 3, probably confusing things in the clubhouse.
Ortiz was in his fourth season in MLB and first with the Guardians, playing his first three years as a back-of-the-rotation starter with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Over the last few seasons, Clase emerged as one of MLB’s best closers and finished third in the AL Cy Young voting in 2024.
“This definitely is a huge loss to the team,” Guardians reliever Cade Smith told USA TODAY Sports about Ortiz and Clase’s absence. “They’re gone. We don’t know if they’re coming back. But we have no choice but to forget about it and move on. We’ve got no choice.”
Smith took over as Cleveland’s closer following Clase’s departure, and the Guardians are not giving up on the season yet.
“Honestly, we’ve lost lots of guys to injuries or guys who have been optioned or whatever,” catcher Austin Hedges told Nightengale. “In baseball, it’s not a 26-man roster. It’s more like a 40-, 50-, 60-man roster. Our group is so resilient, whatever 26 we’re going to throw out there, we’re going to believe in them.”
Emmanuel Clase Clase Hurt the Guardians in More Ways
Clase ranked among the hottest names rumored to move at the trade deadline. Given his recent success, the Guardians could have received a superb prospect package in return for the closer’s services if Cleveland had traded him.
Clase stayed put, and now he’s paid to not come to the ballpark. If the investigation shows that he deliberately altered his pitches to help gamblers, his career in MLB will almost certainly be over.
“What a waste, particularly for Clase, if found guilty, throwing away a star-studded career where he was on an early Hall of Fame trajectory, leading the American League in saves each of the past three seasons,” Nightengale wrote Sunday.
Time will tell if either pitcher will ever step on an MLB mound again. Based on the speed of the investigation, it may take a while.
Guardians Players Break Silence on Gambling Investigation