Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz pleaded not guilty Wednesday to charges related to an alleged pitch-rigging scheme to benefit bettors.
Ortiz entered the guilty pleas in a Brooklyn court, where Magistrate Judge Joseph Marutollo ordered Ortiz released on a $500,000 bond.
He was indicted, along with Cleveland star relief pitcher Emmanuel Clase, after the right-handers were accused of letting bettors know what pitches they planned to rig. The bettors then could put money on prop bets, with Ortiz and Clase getting kickbacks from the winnings, which were in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to prosecutors.
Both players face four charges: wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. If found guilty of all charges, they could spend a maximum of 65 years in prison.
Clase has yet to be taken into custody but is expected to surrender himself on Thursday, ABC News reported Wednesday.
Marutollo said Ortiz could travel only to Boston, where he lives; to New York for court appearances; and to Ohio for meetings with his lawyers. The judge said he was a flight risk.
“The defendant has significant monetary resources and, importantly, has close connections in the Dominican Republic,” Marutollo said, per ABC News.
The judge also imposed a restriction on gambling.
The next court date for Ortiz was set for Dec. 2.
Clase allegedly became involved in the betting scheme in 2023.
Ortiz is alleged to have joined in June 2025 and receive bribes and kickbacks for throwing balls instead of strikes. Clase was the connection between Ortiz and the bettors, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern Division of New York. Ortiz allegedly was paid $5,000 to throw a ball on purpose in Cleveland’s June 15 game against the Seattle Mariners, with Clase getting the same amount for setting it up. For a June 27 game against the St. Louis Cardinals, they each received $7,000 for a similar act, according to the indictment.
That was the final game Ortiz pitched in 2025.
Ortiz and Clase were placed on leave July 3 and July 28, respectively. On Aug. 31, Major League Baseball and its players association extended the non-disciplinary paid leave of the right-handers “until further notice” amid an ongoing sports betting investigation.
Clase, 27, was 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA and 24 saves in 48 appearances in the 2025 season. He had a career-high 47 saves in 2024.
Clase is 21-26 with 182 saves and a 1.88 ERA in 366 career games (one start) with the Texas Rangers (2019) and the Guardians.
Ortiz, 26, was 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts this season. He was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates as part of a three-team trade that included the Toronto Blue Jays last Dec. 10.
