NEWS: Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz indicted on gambling related charges

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have been indicted on federal charges alleging they accepted bribes to rig individual pitches for gamblers.

Clase, 28, considered one of baseball’s elite closers, allegedly began coordinating with bettors at the beginning of the 2025, using inside information on his own pitches and tipping off conspirators about specific outcomes, according to an indictment filed in Brooklyn, New York.

The 26-year-old Ortiz is accused of deliberately throwing first pitches of innings as balls to satisfy proposition bets, or prop-bets — wagers on specific events during a game — placed by co-conspirators, according to prosecutors.

Both players were suspended “until further notice” last summer as the league launched an investigation, according to MLB.com.

“MLB contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and has fully cooperated throughout the process,” the league said in a statement November 9. ”We are aware of the indictment and [Sunday’s] arrest, and our investigation is ongoing.”

Clase, from the Dominican Republic, appeared in 48 games in 2025 and recorded 24 saves with a 3.23 ERA. He led MLB in saves in 2022 and 2023, and his 47 saves in 2024 led the American League.

Ortiz, 26, also born in the D.R., posted a 4-9 record with a 4.36 ERA, and 96 strikeouts in 88.2 innings 2025. The Cleveland front office was banking on him becoming a rotation mainstay after a trade from the Pirates before this season.

“We are aware of the recent law enforcement action,” the Guardians said in a statement. “We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue.”

Photos:

Emmanuel Clase: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Latinobaseball.com illustration

Luis Ortiz: Johnmaxmena2, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons; Latinobaseball.com illustration