Latest report indicates Emmanuel Clase was under fire before betting accusations

Earlier this summer, the Guardians were dealt a gut punch when Emmanuel Clase was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave at the end of July as a part of a sports betting investigation that already included Guardians starter Luis Ortiz. 

The blows have kept coming in the months after, as both Clase and Ortiz were indicted by prosecutors in Brooklyn on a variety of sports betting charges but are still on the Guardians’ payroll (for now) for 2026 as MLB conducts its own investigation. 

And while Clase’s involvement in the sports betting scheme was a surprise for almost everyone in baseball since there hadn’t been any prior indication of any wrongdoing, a new report from The Athletic’s Evan Drellich and Zack Meisel shined a new light on some of Clase’s previous wrongdoings. 

According to Drellich and Meisel’s story, Clase had previously been reprimanded “for impermissible cell phone use at least once before knowledge of the gambling issues came to light.” They also added that any player who violates the phone police will usually discuss things with a member of the front office or a manager. 

While it was already known that Clase had used his phone during games to communicate with gamblers during games, it wasn’t known that he had previously been caught using his phone at an illegal time. MLB players weren’t able to use their phones at all during games from 2023 to the start of the 2025 season. 

That system was put in place after the 2017 season to prevent the kind of sign stealing that the Houston Astros used on their quest to a World Series win. 

Emmanuel Clase had previously been reprimanded for using his phone during a game 

According to prosecutors, Clase used his phone twice during games this season to communicate with a bettor before entering games. During a game against the Reds in May, Clase allegedly texted bettors “ready” during the game before throwing a pitch in the dirt that won them $10,000. 

That follows up an instance from earlier in the season where Clase allegedly texted and called a bettor prior to entering a game against the Red Sox where the bettor once again made money on his pitch doctoring. 

Although Clase had previously been suspended for PEDs, there was never any indication he had/was doing anything to impact the integrity of the game. He posted a 0.61 ERA in 74 1/3 innings with Cleveland in 2024 and had recorded 24 saves in 2025 before being placed on paid leave. 

Both player’s criminal trials will begin next May. 

It’s tough to articulate how much Clase’s suspension has hurt the Guardians. 

While the Guardians’ bullpen bounced back at the end of the season and finished the year with one of the best bullpen ERAs in baseball, Clase was one of the most team-friendly contracts in baseball and was also being dangled in trade talks. 

His suspension is one of the biggest reasons why the Guardians have invested so heavily in their bullpen this offseason. Even though Cleveland hasn’t been given a ton of clarity about Clase or Ortiz’s future, they’ve begun operating as if neither of them will ever play for the Guardians again. 

Friday’s update was just another reminder of that.