The Cleveland Guardians could use a pitcher like Luis Ortiz amid their bid to stay in playoff contention—but it appears he won't be back anytime soon.
Major League Baseball has extended Ortiz's stay on non-disciplinary paid leave through Aug. 31, it announced Friday afternoon via Jeff Passan of ESPN.
MLB is investigating gambling activity around two Ortiz pitches earlier this year—one on June 15 against the Seattle Mariners and one on June 27 against the St. Louis Cardinals. The latter came in Ortiz's most recent start, in which he gave up four earned runs and lost 5–0.
The Guardians acquired Ortiz on Dec. 10, and he is currently 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 88 2/3 innings.
Cleveland exits the All-Star break with a record of 46-49, putting them 4.5 games back of the Seattle Mariners for the American League's final wild-card playoff spot.
More MLB on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as MLB Makes Decision on Extending Guardians' Luis Ortiz's Leave.
