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Federal officials have charged two Major League Baseball pitchers on charges related to an alleged gambling scheme concocted to rig bets on games during the season.
Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and All-Star pitcher Emmanuel Clase were the targets of the investigation and have been charged in the alleged scheme. Ortiz was reportedly arrested in Boston earlier Sunday, while Claeys has not yet been taken into custody.
The pitchers are charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to influence athletic competition through bribery and money laundering. Both pitchers are from the Dominican Republic.
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Emmanuel Claes (left) and Luis Ortiz were charged in a federal gambling investigation on November 9, 2025. (IMAGN)
“We are aware of recent law enforcement actions. “We will continue to fully cooperate with both law enforcement and Major League Baseball as their investigations continue,” the team said.
MLB placed Ortiz and Clase on non-disciplinary leave with pay due to a gambling investigation on July 3. When Fox News Digital asked for an update on the investigation on Oct. 22, MLB directed Fox News Digital to issue an August statement.
“MLB contacted federal law enforcement early in the investigation and cooperated fully throughout the entire process. We are aware of the indictment and today's arrest, and our investigation continues,” MLB said in a statement Sunday.
Claeys and Ortiz “conspired with gamblers to rig pitches in professional baseball games so that the gamblers would profit from illegal bets made based on this inside information,” the indictment states. “The defendants agreed in advance with their co-conspirators to throw certain types and speeds of pitchers, and their co-conspirators used this inside information to place bets on those pitches.
“In some cases, defendants received bribes and kickbacks – through third parties – in exchange for falsifying fields. Through this scheme, the defendants defrauded betting platforms, defrauded Major League Baseball and the Cleveland Guardians of their honest services, unlawfully enriched themselves and their co-conspirators, misled the public, and betrayed America's past time.”
Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase during a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants in San Francisco on June 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu, File)
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Officials said in the indictment that from May 2023 to June 2025, Claeys agreed with one co-conspirator to “make certain pitches in certain MLB games” so that players with whom they were allegedly partnered would “profit from illegal bets made based on this inside information.” Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme in June 2025.
The indictment says Claeys was conferring with a bettor on throwing the ball on the first pitch of his bat when he was brought into play in relief. The indictment names incidents in the following games, including May 19, 2023 against the New York Mets, June 2, 2023 against the Minnesota Twins and June 7, 2023 against the Boston Red Sox.
According to the indictment, Claeys allegedly began demanding and receiving bribes and kickbacks in exchange for agreeing to make certain presentations in April. In one case, the indictment said Clase used his phone in the middle of a game to coordinate with a bettor on a pitch he was about to throw.
Luis Ortiz of the Cleveland Guardians pitches in the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins in Cleveland on April 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki, File)
Bettors allegedly won $400,000 on betting platforms on pitchers thrown by Claeys between 2023 and 2025.
When Ortiz allegedly joined the scheme, the indictment said he agreed to hit balls on certain pitches in exchange for bribes or kickbacks. He allegedly agreed to throw out a pitch on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners for approximately $5,000 on his first pitch in the second inning.
The indictment says Ortiz agreed to throw out his first pitch of the third inning on June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals for $7,000.
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In June 2025, players won at least $60,000 on Ortiz's pitches.
The announcement of the indictment came three weeks later. NBA numbers were involved in an FBI operation related to illegal gambling. Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones were among more than two dozen arrested in the scheme.
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