The Cleveland Guardians are fighting for every inch in the crowded American League playoff race—but they’ll have to keep fighting without right-hander Luis Ortiz, who won’t be back on the mound anytime soon.
Major League Baseball announced Friday that Ortiz’s placement on paid leave has been extended through August 31, as the league continues its investigation into suspicious gambling activity involving two of his pitches earlier this season.
The update, first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan, adds another month and a half to Ortiz’s already-uncertain absence, right as the Guardians enter the home stretch of their postseason bid.
Guardians’ Acquisition of Ortiz
Ortiz, acquired in December, is being looked at for two specific pitches: one thrown on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners and another on June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals. That latter pitch came in what is now his most recent outing—a start where he gave up four earned runs and took the loss in a 5–0 shutout.
The league has not yet revealed any formal charges, and the nature of the betting activity under review remains tightly sealed. However, with MLB taking the extraordinary step of keeping Ortiz on paid leave—without discipline—through the end of August, the implication is clear: this is a serious matter.
Cleveland’s Rotation Takes Another Blow
The Guardians, now sitting 46–49 after the All-Star break, are 4.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the AL’s final Wild Card spot. Ortiz, while no ace, had logged 88 2/3 innings with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts, offering solid mid-rotation stability.
But now that stability is gone, the Guardians are left scrambling for arms as the summer grind heats up.
Whether Ortiz is eventually cleared or banned, the damage to Cleveland’s 2025 hopes may already be done. And if this investigation leads to anything bigger? This might be just the tip of the iceberg.
