
Guardians’ Luis Ortiz under MLB investigation, placed on leave
Cleveland Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz is under investigation by Major League Baseball and has been placed on nondisciplinary paid leave through July 17, the league said in a statement Thursday.
MLB did not detail specifics of the investigation.
Ortiz had been scheduled to start for the Guardians on Thursday night against the Chicago Cubs.
His leave comes amid a slide for the Guardians, who have lost six consecutive games to drop to 40-44. While Cleveland remains in second place in the American League Central, it trails first-place Detroit by 12½ games.
A 26-year-old starting pitcher, Ortiz was acquired by Cleveland from Pittsburgh over the winter as part of the three-team trade in which the Guardians sent second baseman Andres Gimenez to Toronto. With a 4-9 record and 4.36 ERA, Ortiz has been a staple in a Guardians rotation whose 4.13 ERA ranks 18th in MLB.
Ortiz signed with the Pirates in 2018 at 19 years old, far later than the typical prospect, and didn’t reach full-season ball until 2021. He quickly shot through the Pittsburgh organization and debuted in 2022, eventually throwing 238⅓ innings and posting a 3.93 ERA in his three seasons with the Pirates.
