Both Major League Baseball (MLB) athletes, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, who are facing allegations of illegal gambling involvement, have their trial dates set.
The news comes from U.S. District Court Judge Kiyo Matsumoto, who serves in the Eastern District of New York (EDNY). She has decided, after an initial February 2026 date was suggested, that both accused will face their judicial fates on May 4, 2026, instead.
Clase and Ortiz have a trial date set
The baseball betting case of the year, as we reported, has been the tale of Clase and Ortiz revolving around allegations of gambling wrongdoing.
Both men who represent the Ohio-based baseball team, the Cleveland Guardians, were charged with bribery, conspiracy to influence sporting contests, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering, and wire fraud conspiracy.
Two Current Major League Baseball Players Charged in Sports Betting and Money Laundering Conspiracy https://t.co/uHE2ohObCc (Announced with @NewYorkFBI)
— US Attorney EDNY (@EDNYnews) November 9, 2025
Both men from the Dominican Republic had been accused of helping an individual with prop bets on the speed of their pitches. The person would accumulate $460,000 in winnings from these bets, prompting an investigation into the wagering.
The MLB has responded, alongside the biggest names in gambling, to enforce a cap wager on ‘micro-bet’ pitch-level markets.
MLB and its major sportsbook partners just announced new limits on pitch-level markets: pic.twitter.com/nrNdk4LXJ5
— Gary Phillips (@GaryHPhillips) November 10, 2025
As a result of the cap, licensed gambling operators would now have a $200 ceiling on wagers on pitch-level markets and would exclude those bets from parlays.
MLB responds to Senate-level inquiry
The case of Clase and Ortiz has prompted the United States Senate to get involved in the ongoing speculation that illegal gambling is taking place in America’s greatest pastime.
The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is overseeing a probe into the MLB and has asked for further transparency from the league’s leading figures.
As part of a press release from the Senate Committee, the group has acknowledged “that illegal sports betting and game rigging are not isolated incidents but an emerging issue across multiple leagues and requests information on MLB oversight and investigations into the charges.”
The Commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB), Rob Manfred, has said he will comply fully and transparently with any of the Senate Committee’s requests.
Saying as part of a media release on the matter, “We’re going to respond fully and cooperatively and on time to the Senate inquiry.”
Featured image: ESPN via YouTube / Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY 2.0
