Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz’s career is in serious jeopardy.
Ortiz has been placed on paid leave over a reported MLB investigation into gambling. He was scheduled to start the Guardians’ game Thursday night against the Cubs, but Joey Cantillo will take the ball for Cleveland instead.
He might not see the field for the remainder of the season, which is bad news for a team hoping to go on a winning streak and get back into contention.
Ortiz, in his first season with the Guardians, will remain on paid leave through the end of the All-Star break due to the MLB investigation.
A betting-integrity firm flagged two individual pitches from Ortiz, according to ESPN. The first infraction was June 15, when Ortiz’s first pitch of the second inning to Randy Arozarena was not close to the strike zone.
The alert was reportedly “triggered” as there was heavy action on Luis Ortiz’s first pitch that inning, being either a ball or a hit by a batter.
The next incident involved a similar action: another terrible baseball was thrown on June 27 in the top of the third inning.
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Footage of that game has been shown on social media.
In the top of the third inning, Luis Ortiz threw the baseball straight into the ground and passed the catcher.
Luis Ortiz got caught gambling when an irregular influx of money came in on the “First Pitch Of The 3rd Inning Will Be a Ball” bet and he came out and threw this 😂 😂 😂 #guilty pic.twitter.com/9oqvOwM01D
— Ohio’s Tate (@BarstoolTate) July 3, 2025
Luis Ortiz Was Not Having The Best 2025 MLB Season
Cleveland acquired Luis Ortiz in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, which also included Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle, in exchange for Spencer Horwitz.
In 16 starts with the Guardians, Ortiz is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts. His losses are currently tied for the most in the American League.
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