A huge story shook up Major League Baseball on Wednesday. Cleveland Guardians Pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on administrative leave by the league as they investigate his link to alleged gambling. At the time of publication, no other information has been released.
Ortiz was a key part of Cleveland’s starting rotation this regular season. He was 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA. He spent the first three seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates before becoming a member of the Guardians. How will this situation resolve itself?
Luis Ortiz Is the Latest Sports Figure Ensnared In Gambling
Unfortunately, Ortiz’s situation has become all too common in recent years. He is far from the only sports figure who has been investigated for gambling on the game. Last week, Detroit Pistons sharpshooter Malik Beasley was announced to be under investigation by the FBI in a federal gambling probe.
Other recent examples include Wide Receiver Calvin Ridley being suspended for one year for gambling on the NFL while he was injured. Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was also involved in a gambling investigation that nearly took him down. Ultimately, Ohtani’s interpreter stole $17 million from the superstar to pay off his gambling debts.
Final Thoughts
While Ortiz is on administrative leave, he deserves the presumption of innocence as his ties are investigated. This sort of thing has become too common. The ease of access to sports gambling could be one of the reasons why.
