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Cleveland Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz is under investigation by Major League Baseball and has been placed on nondisciplinary paid leave through July 17, the league said in a statement Thursday.
MLB did not detail specifics of the investigation.
Ortiz had been scheduled to start for the Guardians on Thursday night against the Chicago Cubs.
"The Guardians have been notified that Luis Ortiz has been placed on leave per an agreement with the Players Association due to an ongoing league investigation," the team said in a statement. "The Guardians are not permitted to comment further at this time and will respect the league's confidential investigative process."
His leave comes amid a slide for the Guardians, who have lost six consecutive games to drop to 40-44. While Cleveland remains in second place in the American League Central, it trails first-place Detroit by 12½ games.
A 26-year-old starting pitcher, Ortiz was acquired by Cleveland from Pittsburgh over the winter as part of the three-team trade in which the Guardians sent second baseman Andres Gimenez to Toronto. With a 4-9 record and 4.36 ERA, Ortiz has been a staple in a Guardians rotation whose 4.13 ERA ranks 18th in MLB.
Ortiz signed with the Pirates in 2018 at 19 years old, far later than the typical prospect, and didn't reach full-season ball until 2021. He quickly shot through the Pittsburgh organization and debuted in 2022, eventually throwing 238⅓ innings and posting a 3.93 ERA in his three seasons with the Pirates.
