Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz remain on nondisciplinary paid leave as MLB probe continues

The Cleveland Guardians will reinstate pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz from paid leave. Major League Baseball and the Players Association announced the leave status will remain, "until further notice," as an investigation continues.

The leave was scheduled to expire, but both sides agreed to continue it indefinitely until MLB and the Ohio Casino Control Commission complete their respective investigations.

How the investigation into Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase began

Luis Ortiz was initially put on leave on July 3 after two of his pitches were flagged by betting-integrity firms in June. In the case of the June 15, 2003, game with Seattle and the June 27 matchup with St. Louis, Ortiz's first pitch of an inning was allegedly placed as a bet to be a ball or hit the batter, which occurred in both games.

More recently, Emmanuel Clase was placed on leave on July 28 for similar reasons. The league and the Guardians have stated repeatedly that these leaves are non-disciplinary, meaning neither pitcher has been disciplined so far. However, the organization has fully cooperated with the investigations.

What the suspensions mean for the Guardians’ playoff push

Not having either pitcher is a significant setback for Cleveland as the postseason is now upon us. Ortiz, who was obtained from Pittsburgh last December, was 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA in 16 starts before going on the disabled list.

Clase, who is the All-Star closer for the Guardians, had a 3.23 ERA with 24 saves in 48 games.Also Read: MLB places Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Clase on paid leave amid gambling investigationNonetheless, it keeps Cleveland in the running, sitting three games back in the AL Wild Card chase with the regular season ending on September 28. Now, neither pitcher is expected to be back this year. MLB and the MLBPA are stressing they won't be commenting further until the investigation is complete.