Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase remain in limbo as they wait for Major League Baseball to announce the findings of the sports betting investigation the league launched in July. Now that the regular season has concluded, an announcement from the league offices should be forthcoming soon.
Ortiz and Clase have been training in the Dominican Republic for the last month, expecting to join the Estellas Orientale for the upcoming winter league (LIDOM) season. However, as ESPN’s Enrique Rojas reported on Monday, the two players will not be permitted to participate.
MLB and the LIDOM, like most winter leagues, have a formal working agreement that covers several things. There is no indication, however, that it was MLB’s influence that led to this decision to prevent Ortiz and Clase from participating in this winter league season.
Still, the setback is significant for the two pitchers who haven’t been in game action in months. Even if an announcement from the league were to clear them for the 2026 and moving forward, not being able to play winter ball will be another challenge in their efforts to return as effective arms.
