Luis Ortiz, Guardians Pitcher, Under MLB Investigation
The Cleveland Guardians’ right-handed pitcher, Luis Ortiz, is under investigation by Major League Baseball (MLB). The league announced on Thursday that Ortiz has been placed on paid administrative leave until July 17.
MLB has not provided specific details about the nature of the investigation.
Ortiz was scheduled to be the Guardians’ opener on Thursday night against the Chicago Cubs.
This situation arises at a difficult time for the Guardians, who have suffered six consecutive losses and now have a record of 40-44. Despite remaining in second place in the American League Central Division, the team is 12.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers, who lead the division.
Ortiz, a 26-year-old starting pitcher, was acquired by Cleveland from Pittsburgh during the winter as part of a three-team trade. In this move, the Guardians sent second baseman Andres Gimenez to Toronto. With a 4-9 record and a 4.36 ERA, Ortiz has been a key piece in the Guardians’ rotation, whose 4.13 ERA ranks 18th in MLB.
Ortiz signed with the Pirates in 2018 at the age of 19. He didn’t reach full-season baseball until 2021. He quickly ascended through the Pittsburgh organization and made his debut in 2022, accumulating 238.1 innings pitched and recording an ERA of 3.93 in his three seasons with the Pirates.
