Luis Ortiz Placed on Leave Amid MLB Gambling Investigation

• Luis Ortiz has been placed on paid leave amid an MLB investigation into alleged gambling activity, just hours before he was set to start against the Cubs.
• He’ll remain sidelined through the All-Star break, but Ortiz’s case follows a string of high-profile betting scandals across pro sports.

CLEVELAND — Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave while Major League Baseball investigates him for alleged involvement in gambling activity, sources told The Athletic on Thursday.

The move comes just hours before Ortiz was slated to start against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Instead, the 26-year-old right-hander will remain sidelined through the All-Star break, and Joey Cantillo has been called up from Triple-A Columbus to take his place.

The Guardians, citing the league’s confidential investigative process, declined to comment beyond acknowledging the leave. This latest MLB betting incident comes on the heels of MLB’s 2024 lifetime ban of Tucupita Marcano for betting on his own team, and amid growing concern about how leagues are managing player behavior in an era of legalized sports betting.

Further Reading: Malik Beasley’s Betting Probe Forces Tough Question: How Do We Keep Pro Athletes Honest?

This isn’t just an MLB problem – it’s a sports-wide reckoning. Malik Beasley was also in the news for a similar alleged incident (betting on his player props while with the Milwaukee Bucks). He’s one of several NBA players to face an investigation in the last year, following the high-profile bans of Jontay Porter and the ongoing probe into Terry Rozier.

These cases aren’t isolated scandals; they’re symptoms of a rapidly expanding betting ecosystem where players are tempted by inside access and left without consistent guidance.

As leagues rake in millions from sportsbook partnerships, the stakes are clear: integrity measures must evolve just as fast. Whether Ortiz’s case leads to punishment or not, it’s another reminder that legal sports betting and athlete conduct are on a collision course. And without proactive regulation, we’ll continue to read headlines like these.

News tags: Cleveland Guardians | Illinois | Jontay Prter | Luis Ortiz | Malik Beasley | MLB | NBA | Terry Rozier | Tucupita Marcano