A top Major League Baseball pitcher has been pulled from the game, and questions are now swirling around the future of sports betting in professional baseball.
Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was placed on paid leave this week as MLB investigates possible betting violations connected to in-game wagers. The league made the announcement Monday, calling the move “non-disciplinary” while the review continues.
Clase is the second Guardians pitcher tied to the probe. Earlier in July, pitcher Luis Ortiz was also placed on leave. Both are expected to remain out until at least August 31.
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
The focus of the investigation appears to be on very specific bets — known as “microbets” — placed during live games. These aren’t the kind of bets fans typically think about, like who will win the game or how many home runs might be hit. Instead, they focus on individual pitches — like the very first pitch of a specific inning.
According to reports from ESPN, alerts from sports data firm IC360 raised red flags about betting patterns on two pitches thrown by Ortiz. One was in the bottom of the second inning during a June game against the Mariners. Another was in the top of the third during a late June matchup with the Cardinals. Both saw sudden, unusually large bets placed in multiple states, including Ohio, New York, and New Jersey.
The Guardians confirmed the league’s action but said they are not allowed to give more information.
“We have been informed that no additional players or Club personnel are expected to be impacted,” the team said. “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.”
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 28, 2025
The source of the betting information is a platform used to track suspicious activity across sportsbooks. That means every bet — especially ones involving high dollars — can be flagged if something doesn’t seem right.
Even though nothing has been proven, the case is already raising new questions about how deep the issue of sports betting may run — and whether baseball is ready for it.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke about his concerns during this month’s All-Star Game. While he supported the legalized and regulated nature of betting in general, he said he was uneasy about certain types of wagers.
“There are certain types of bets that strike me as unnecessary and particularly vulnerable,” Manfred said.
He pointed out that before betting was legal and monitored, there was no real way to track what was happening — or catch problems in time. Now, with advanced systems and legal partnerships in place, the league believes it’s in a better position to catch anything suspicious.
Still, the idea that players might be involved — or even suspected of involvement — shakes the image of fair play.
Fans want to believe what they’re seeing on the field is real. That every pitch, every at-bat, and every outcome is determined by skill, not by a bet placed seconds before on a phone in New Jersey.
The investigation is ongoing. No one has been charged. No permanent decisions have been made. But the spotlight is now firmly on Clase, Ortiz, and the future of microbetting in America’s oldest pastime.
