Less than 10 hours before he was slated to make a start Thursday for the Guardians, starting pitcher Luis Ortiz was mysteriously placed on leave by MLB.
The league announced Ortiz has been placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through the All-Star break — games resume July 18 — due to an investigation.
And that was as far as the details went regarding the situation.
With the ambiguous nature of the release, speculation immediately arose on social media surrounding the nature of the investigation.
Cleveland’s release did not add any clarity either.
“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 statement read. “The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time, and will respect the league’s confidential investigative process.”
Ortiz has been a regular in the Guardians’ rotation this season.
He’s 4-9 with 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts compared to 42 walks spanning 16 starts.
Ortiz was acquired by Cleveland in December after he spent three seasons in the big leagues with the Pirates.
His best statistical season with Pittsburgh came last season when he posted a 3.32 ERA, 107 strikeouts and 42 walks across 135 ⅔ innings. He made 15 starts among 37 apperances.
Ortiz had a 3.93 ERA across his three seasons with the Pirates.
With his sudden absence for the Guardians’ rotation, Joey Cantillo will get the start Thursday night against the Cubs at Wrigley.
Cantillo has made 21 appearances for Cleveland this season, all in relief, and holds a 3.81 ERA.
Ortiz’s leave certainly isn’t ideal for the Guardians as they have struggled immensely as of late.
Cleveland entered Thursday at 40-44 after losing six straight games.
The Guardians dropped into third place in the AL Central, behind both the Twins and the AL-leading Tigers, and are also four games back of a wild-card position.