GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz will remain on non-disciplinary leave, per an agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association announced Friday, though their leave status will shift from paid to unpaid.
In a statement on Friday, MLB said the two right-handers will remain on leave “until further notice.”
“As the legal proceedings involving Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz continue to move forward,” the statement reads, “MLB and the MLBPA have agreed that both players will remain on non-disciplinary leave from the Club without pay until further notice. This agreement is not an admission of any wrongdoing by Clase or Ortiz. MLB has been closely monitoring the matter since alerting federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation and will have no further comment until its investigation has been completed.”
Clase and Ortiz went on non-disciplinary paid leave this past July amid MLB investigations involving sports gambling. The two were federally indicted in New York in November on charges related to an alleged scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown in MLB games.
Ortiz was initially placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through the All-Star break on July 3. It was extended through Aug. 31 on July 18. Clase went on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 28 through Aug. 31. On Aug. 31, both pitchers’ leaves were extended “until further notice” and they were not permitted to report to Spring Training.
In 2022, the Guardians signed Clase to a five-year contract extension worth $20 million. He was set to make $6.4 million this season, and the deal includes a pair of club options in it for ‘27 and ‘28 -- each worth $10 million. Ortiz is in the pre-arbitration phase of club control.