MLB places Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase on leave during ongoing betting investigation

Major League Baseball has placed Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of its ongoing investigation into sports betting. The announcement follows a similar action taken against Guardians starter Luis Ortiz, marking the second such case involving a Cleveland pitcher this summer.

MLB said in a statement that Clase will remain on leave through August 31, pursuant to an agreement with the MLB Players Association, while the league continues its investigation. “We will not comment further until the investigation has been completed,” the league stated.

Clase, a three-time All-Star and last year’s American League Reliever of the Year, is 5-3 with 24 saves and a 3.23 ERA in 48 games this season. He had been considered a potential top trade asset before Thursday’s trade deadline.

The Guardians issued a statement confirming MLB's move and added: “We have been informed that no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted.”

The nature of the allegations against Clase has not been disclosed. It is also unclear whether the Clase and Ortiz investigations are related, whose case centers on suspicious betting activity tied to two specific pitches thrown during games against the Seattle Mariners on June 15 and the St. Louis Cardinals on June 27.

Both pitches—described as missing the strike zone and bouncing to the plate—triggered alerts from a betting integrity monitoring firm and were forwarded to MLB.

Microbetting and integrity concerns

Ortiz’s case has drawn attention to microbetting, a type of wagering that allows bets on single plays or pitches. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred previously questioned the value of such betting options.

“Certain types of bets strike me as unnecessary and particularly vulnerable—things where it’s one single act and doesn’t affect the [game] outcome necessarily,” he previously stated.

An industry source told iGB that while operators typically limit microbets to small amounts, coordinated syndicates could still manipulate such wagers. The same source suggested MLB might consider lobbying for restrictions on microbetting, similar to the NCAA’s push for college prop bet bans following integrity concerns in collegiate sports.

In New Jersey, Assemblyman Dan Hutchison recently introduced a bill that would prohibit microbets at licensed sportsbooks, citing the potential impact on sports integrity and problem gambling.

MLB's history with gambling

Clase and Ortiz’s cases follow a series of other gambling-related disciplinary actions by MLB. In June last year, San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano received a lifetime ban after placing 387 baseball wagers totaling more than $150,000. Four other players—Michael Kelly, Jay Groome, Andrew Saalfrank, and José Rodríguez—received one-year suspensions.

Earlier this year, umpire Pat Hoberg was terminated for sharing a legal sports betting account with a friend who wagered on baseball and for deleting relevant electronic messages during MLB’s investigation.

In a separate high-profile case, Ippei Mizuhara, the former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani, was sentenced to 57 months in prison for embezzling over $16 million from Ohtani to repay gambling debts. MLB stated Ohtani was not implicated in the wrongdoing.