MLB PIaces Cleveland Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase On Leave Amid Gambling Investigation

The MLB placed Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave as they conduct a sports-betting investigation, according to a Monday announcement.

The action follows abnormal activity reportedly surrounding in-game bets on a pair of pitches by Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz, who was put on non-disciplinary leave earlier in July, according to ESPN. The Cleveland Guardians issued a statement Monday confirming the move.

“We have been informed that no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted,” the team added.

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— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 28, 2025

CLEVELAND, OHIO – OCTOBER 12: Emmanuel Clase #48 of the Cleveland Guardians throws a pitch during the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers during Game Five of the Division Series at Progressive Field on October 12, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Getty Images)

“The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time, and will respect the league’s confidential investigative process as we continue to fully cooperate,” they wrote.

Clase and Ortiz are expected to sit out through Aug. 31 as the MLB conducts a full investigation, ESPN reported. Clase was allegedly connected to the investigation after a June 27 IC360 alert obtained by the outlet. IC360 is a firm that looks for unusual activity in sports betting markets.

Sources said gambling operators and sportsbooks were notified June 15 to an increase in gambling action on the first pitch by Ortiz in the bottom of the second inning while playing the Seattle Mariners. They were allegedly alerted to his pitch in the top of the third inning June 27 in a match with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Both instances allegedly involved unusually large monetary values being wagered on the pitches from Ohio, New York and New Jersey betting accounts, a copy on the IC360 alert said.

Breaking: Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of MLB’s sports-betting investigation, sources tell @JeffPassan.

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— ESPN (@espn) July 28, 2025

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred expressed his concern about microbets at mid-July’s All-Star Game.

“There are certain types of bets that strike me as unnecessary and particularly vulnerable,” Manfred said, according to ESPN.

“I know there was a lot of sports betting, tons of it that went on illegally and we had no idea, no idea what threats there were to the integrity of the play because it was all not transparent.” (RELATED: MLB Launches Gambling Investigation On Guardians’ Luis Ortiz: REPORT)

“I firmly believe that the transparency and monitoring that we have in place now, as a result of the legalization and the partnerships that we’ve made, puts us in a better position to protect baseball than we were in before,” he said.