Emmanuel Clase, a Cleveland Guardians pitcher, has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave in relation to a sports betting investigation being conducted by Major League Baseball.
The Guardians released a statement earlier today saying, “We have been informed that no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted. 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.”
The news comes just a month after Clase’s teammate, Luis Ortiz, was placed on non-disciplinary leave in connection to a sports gambling investigation.
USA Today reports that the investigation into Ortiz centers around two pitches that he threw: one on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners and another on June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals.
It is currently unclear if the two cases are related, but it has not gone unnoticed by fans.
Some MLB fans are going so far as calculating Clase’s Waste Percentage, which refers to pitches that aren’t close to the strike zone, and comparing his numbers to Ortiz’s.
The 27-year-old pitcher is currently 5–3 with 24 saves in 48 games this year alone. He was expected to be a highly sought-after trade target ahead of the upcoming MLB trade deadline this week.
He had been preparing to begin a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Monday. Clase is a three-time MLB All-Star, three-time AL saves leader, and two-time AL Reliever of the Year.
Gambling and betting within both MLB and minor league teams has been a growing concern in recent years.
Just last year, the MLB suspended five players for gambling, including a lifetime ban for Tucupita Marcano, a San Diego Padres infielder. Marcano had placed over 350 baseball bets, totaling more than $150,000 throughout 2022 and 2023.