8 hours ago
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Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been placed on 'non-disciplinary paid leave' by Major League Baseball through the end of the All-Star break as the league conducts an investigation.
In a statement provided to DailyMail.com, MLB said, 'We will not comment further until the investigation has been completed.'
It is not clear exactly what Ortiz is being investigated for.
In a statement (via The Athletic) the Guardians said, 'The Guardians have been notified by Major League Baseball that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation.
'The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time, and will respect the league’s confidential investigative process.'
Ortiz was set to start a game on Thursday evening on the road against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field.
Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz has been mysteriously placed on leave pending an investigation
Ortiz was traded to the Guardians from the Pittsburgh Pirates this past offseason
Cleveland is now calling up pitcher Joey Cantillo from Triple-A Columbus to start the game.
Ortiz, 26, was initially a prospect of the Pittsburgh Pirates - signing for the team in 2018 and making his MLB debut with them in 2022.
At the end of last season, he was traded alongside pitchers Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle to Cleveland in exchange for first baseman Spencer Horwitz.
Across his career, Ortiz has 279 strikeouts across 327 innings pitched and owns a 4.05 ERA.
This season, Ortiz has a record of 4-9 in 16 games played - with 96 strikeouts across 88.2 innings pitched and an ERA of 4.36.
