Trial of Guardians pitchers moved to November

The federal trial for two Cleveland Guardians pitchers accused of rigging pitches in exchange for a kickback from bettors has been moved to November.

The trial of pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz was scheduled to start May 4 in the Eastern District of New York, but Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto moved the trial date to Nov. 2, starting with jury selection.

She still must rule whether she will approve the request of Clase and Ortiz to stand trial separately. Ortiz's attorneys wanted to separate the cases because of their belief that Clase was more deeply involved in the scheme and recruited Ortiz. Clase's team agreed with the request.

Clase and Ortiz, who are free on bail, were indicted last November on charges of wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy and conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery.

They have entered not guilty pleas.

The prosecution alleged that Clase and Ortiz accepted thousands of dollars in bribes to help a pair of gamblers in their native country of the Dominican Republic win at least $460,000 based on wagers placed on the speed of their pitches and whether they would be strikes or balls.

Clase, who turns 28 this month, is a two-time American League Reliever of the Year and a three-time All-Star. He has a 21-26 record with a 1.88 ERA and 182 saves over six seasons.

Ortiz, 27, was traded to Cleveland ahead of the 2025 season. He has a 4.05 ERA over 75 appearances (50 starts) spanning four major league seasons.

Both pitchers have been on non-disciplinary paid leave since July. The Guardians are awaiting clarification from MLB as to whether they must pay the pitchers their salaries for the 2026 season -- $780,000 for Ortiz and $6.4 million for Clase.

--Field Level Media