MLB and the MLBPA announced Sunday that Ortiz will remain on non-disciplinary paid leave until further notice while MLB continues its sports-betting investigation.
The Guardians aren't planning on commenting further on Ortiz's status until the investigation concludes, but the right-hander's locker at Progressive Field was cleared out nearly a month ago, which implies that he isn't expected to pitch again this season. Ortiz remains under club control heading into 2026, but whether he returns to the mound with the Guardians or another team down the road won't become clear until MLB releases the findings of its investigation.
Ortiz will remain on non-disciplinary leave for the remainder of the 2025 season, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.
Ortiz has been on leave since July 3 as MLB investigates a possible gambling-related offense. The 26-year-old's locker was cleared out at the beginning of August, so Friday's update doesn't come as much of a surprise. Teammate Emmanuel Clase, who's under investigation as well, will not return in 2025 either.
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Guardians' Luis L. Ortiz: Locker cleared out
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Ortiz's locker has been cleared out in the Guardians' clubhouse Friday as he remains under investigation by MLB, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Teammate Emmanuel Clase also had his locker cleared out, as both pitchers are currently on paid non-disciplinary leave as part of the MLB's sports-betting investigation. Ortiz was placed on leave July 18, and Clase joined him this week just ahead of Thursday's trade deadline. It appears the Guardians don't expect to have Ortiz available again this season.
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Guardians' Luis L. Ortiz: Out for another month
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MLB has extended Ortiz's non-disciplinary paid leave until Aug. 31, Zack Meisel of The Athletic reports.
Ortiz has been under investigation for a possible gambling-related offense since July 3, and he'll remain on leave as MLB continues its probe. Cleveland has filled Ortiz's vacated spot in the rotation with Joey Cantillo, and Shane Bieber (elbow) could be a few weeks away from his 2025 debut as well. Ortiz logged a 4.36 ERA over 88.2 innings before being placed on leave.
The Guardians announced Thursday that Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation.
Major League Baseball hasn't released any specifics regarding the nature of the investigation, though Tim Stebbins of MLB.com relays that Ortiz will be on "non-disciplinary paid leave" through the All-Star break, according to a statement from the league. Ortiz had been scheduled to start Thursday's game against the Cubs, but left-hander Joey Cantillo will instead be called up from Triple-A Columbus to start the series finale in Chicago. After being acquired from the Pirates over the winter, Ortiz has been an adequate mid-rotation arm for Cleveland this season, posting a 4-9 record, 4.36 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 96:42 K:BB over 88.2 innings.
Guardians' Luis L. Ortiz: Investigation related to gambling
Rotowire
Ortiz is being investigated by Major League Baseball due to a possible gambling-related offense, Zack Meisel and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.
Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave by MLB on Thursday, and he will remain on leave through the All-Star break as the league continues its probe. MLB has the ability to extend the leave beyond that, if necessary. Ortiz had been slated to start Thursday's game against the Cubs, but the Guardians will now hand the ball to Joey Cantillo instead.
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Guardians' Luis L. Ortiz: Hit hard in Friday's loss
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Ortiz (4-9) took the loss Friday, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk over seven innings in a 5-0 loss to the Cardinals. He struck out five.
The right-hander had no margin for error as Sonny Gray was busy firing a one-hitter for St. Louis, but Ortiz left a few too many pitches over the middle of the plate -- four of the six hits off him went for extra bases, including third-inning homers by Pedro Pages and Alec Burleson. Ortiz still generated 32 called or swinging strikes among his 102 pitches (69 total strikes) as he completed seven frames for the first time this season. He compiled a respectable 4.30 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 32:12 K:BB over 29.1 innings in June, but Ortiz will face a tough test to begin July, as he's scheduled for a road start next week against the Cubs.
Guardians' Luis L. Ortiz: Fans 10 in dominant outing
Rotowire
Ortiz (4-8) earned the win over the Athletics on Saturday, allowing two hits and issuing two walks while striking out 10 batters over six scoreless innings.
Ortiz was exceptional during his time in the game, racking up 12 whiffs and tying a season high with 10 punchouts. It was the third time this season he's allowed zero runs in an appearance, and the right-hander notched a victory for just the second time over his past 11 starts. Ortiz came into the game having allowed 10 runs over 10.2 frames across his previous two starts, so Saturday's effort was a nice bounce-back performance. He's slated to take on the Cardinals at home in his next start.
Ortiz (3-8) allowed six runs on five hits and five walks while striking out five over six innings to take the loss Sunday versus the Mariners.
Ortiz had some early struggles, allowing five of the six runs in the second inning, which included him giving up a grand slam to J.P. Crawford. After going five starts from May 11 to June 4 without allowing more than three runs in any outing, Ortiz has given up 10 runs over 10.2 innings across his last two appearances. He's now at a 4.64 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 81:39 K:BB over 75.2 innings through 14 starts this season. His lofty walk rate remains a concern, though he is fanning batters at a high rate as well. Ortiz is projected to make his next start on the road versus the Athletics.
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Guardians' Luis L. Ortiz: Knocked around in seventh loss
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Ortiz (3-7) took the loss Monday against the Reds after giving up four runs on nine hits and one walk in 4.2 innings. He struck out five.
The nine hits allowed matched a season high for Ortiz, and he worked fewer than five innings for the first time since April 23 against the Yankees. Monday also marked the first time the hard-throwing right-hander yielded greater than three runs since May 6 against the Nationals, as he surrendered multiple home runs for just the second time this year while struggling with his pitch location. Ortiz owns a pedestrian 4.26 ERA, 1.45 WHIP and 76:34 K:BB over 69.2 frames, and he'll look to bounce back this weekend at pitcher-friendly T-Mobile Park against a slumping Mariners club that has a .600 OPS at home since the start of May.
Ortiz (3-6) earned the win Wednesday over the Yankees, allowing three hits and three walks over 5.2 scoreless innings. He struck out seven.
While it's the first win since April 18 for Ortiz, the right-hander has been pitching well lately, posting a 2.27 ERA over his last five starts (27.2 innings). His ERA is down to 4.02 on the year with a 1.40 WHIP and 71:33 K:BB across 12 starts (65 innings). A matchup with Cincinnati likely waits for Ortiz in his next turn through the rotation.
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Player Bio
HT/WT: 6-2, 240 lbs
Birthplace: San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
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