Guardians' Emmanuel Clase placed on leave amid sports betting probe
July 28 (UPI) -- Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave amid an MLB sports betting investigation, the league announced Monday.
"Per an agreement with the MLBPA, Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through games on Aug. 31 while MLB continues its sports betting investigation," the league said in a statement.
The 27-year-old is the second Guardians pitcher placed on leave amid the probe, joining starter Luis Ortiz. MLB announced earlier this month that Ortiz's leave was extended through Aug. 31.
Clase, 27, earned his 24th save of the season in the Guardians' 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday in Kansas City, Mo. The three-time All-Star was 5-3 with a 3.23 ERA over his first 48 appearances this season.
Clase led the American League in saves in 2022, 2023 and 2024. He was 4-2 with a career-best 0.61 ERA over 74 appearances in 2024, when he totaled a career-high 47 saves. Clase led MLB with 42 and 44 saves, respectively, in 2022 and 2023.
The right-handed relief pitcher went 21-26 with a 1.88 ERA and 182 saves through the first seven years of his career. He was suspended for 80 games -- the entire season -- in 2020 for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
The Guardians (52-53) sit in second place in the American League Central, eight games behind the division-leading Detroit Tigers (61-46). They will host the MLB-worst Colorado Rockies (27-78) at 6:40 p.m. EDT Monday in Cleveland.
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