Santo Domingo – Prominent Dominican pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz have filed a lawsuit against the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League (Lidom).
The legal action arises after the prohibition to participate with the Estrellas Orientales in the current winter season. The judicial document, identified as act number 1295/2025 and dated October 22, seeks to ensure the right of the players to play in the local league. This, after Lidom ratified the veto in a report issued by its president, Vitelio Mejía, on October 13. Lawyer Sheiner Adames Torres represents the players in this case.
The situation of Clase and Ortiz unfolds amidst a Major League Baseball (MLB) investigation related to alleged bets on games in which both had participated.
Currently, they are disabled from playing with the Cleveland Guardians.
Meanwhile, reports from Venezuela suggest that Emmanuel Clase has reached an agreement to reinforce the Tiburones de La Guaira, without the authorization of his original team or Lidom.
Yes, we would have to lend them; as of today we have not lent to either of them.
Ángel Ovalles, vice president of operations for the Estrellas Orientales, confirmed that none of the pitchers have received official permission to play in another league.
Jorge Torres, Lidom’s operations manager, explained that any transfer of players to another Caribbean league requires the approval of both the team and the Dominican league itself.
This case has generated great interest in Caribbean baseball, evoking precedents such as that of the Venezuelan Tucupita Marcano, who played in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League before being suspended for life by MLB due to his relationship with betting.
The lawsuit by Clase and Ortiz represents a new chapter in the tensions between the players and the organization that runs professional winter baseball in the Dominican Republic.
