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Major League Baseball announced Monday that Cleveland Guardians All-Star Emmanuel Clase has been placed on paid leave while it investigates the pitcher’s connections to possible illegal betting.
Clase’s teammte, Luis Ortiz, was also placed on leave this month by MLB under similar suspicions.
The announcement comes amid widespread speculation that Clase, a three-time All-Star, would be traded in advance of Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline. Now, Clase won’t be pitching for anyone for a while.
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The specific nature of what caught MLB‘s attention regarding Clase is unclear.
Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave after in-game prop bets on two pitches he threw received unusual wagering activity during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and on June 27 agianst the St. Louis Cardinals. The gambling activity on the pitches was reportedly flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.
More to come on this story from Newsweek Sports.