Guardians' Pitcher Ortiz Leave Extended Through August Amid MLB Gambling Probe

Major League Baseball has extended Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz's non-disciplinary paid leave through August 31 as the league continues its investigation into unusual gambling activity involving prop bets on pitches thrown by Ortiz earlier this season. Ortiz was initially placed on leave on July 3 and is not permitted to enter team facilities but can maintain contact with the Guardians. The investigation follows similar MLB actions last year, which included suspensions and a lifetime ban related to gambling violations. Ortiz, 26, is in his first season with Cleveland after being acquired from Pittsburgh and has a 4.36 ERA over 16 starts this year. Meanwhile, the Guardians have replaced Ortiz in the rotation with Joey Cantillo. The team has expressed full cooperation with MLB during the ongoing probe.