Ortiz faces charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy. Steven Senne / AP Photo

BOSTON — Pitcher Luis Ortiz made his first appearance in federal court Monday afternoon after being charged alongside teammate Emmanuel Clase with wire fraud and several counts of conspiracy stemming from an alleged scheme to rig pitches.

Ortiz, 26, entered a courtroom inside the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts in Boston at 2:58 p.m.ET and listened as Chief Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell read the charges against him. An hour later, Ortiz pulled the hood of his sage-colored zip-up jacket low over his face as he walked out the front doors of the building behind his attorney, Michael Homer, and past a cluster of reporters and news cameras.

Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz leaving his first court appearance in Boston. His next hearing will be Wednesday in New York. pic.twitter.com/KT2pEEmctY

— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) November 10, 2025

Ortiz and Homer declined comment.

Ortiz and Clase face charges of wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy for their alleged roles in aiding co-conspirators to win more than $450,000 by wagering on certain pitch speeds and outcomes. If convicted, Ortiz and Clase face up to 65 years in prison, plus other financial penalties.

Ortiz, who prosecutors argued represents a serious flight risk, was released on $500,000 bond — $50,000 of which is secured bail Ortiz must post within three weeks. He will be arraigned in the Eastern District of New York on Wednesday.

Other conditions of Ortiz’s release include a restriction on travel outside of the state of Massachusetts — where he maintains a private residence with his wife — and trips to court appearances in New York and to meet with his primary counsel, Chris Georgalis, who is based in Cleveland. Ortiz was ordered to surrender his passport; submit to the third-party custody of his wife, who attended Monday’s hearing; report to and follow the instructions of a probation officer; and avoid all direct or indirect contact with anyone who could be viewed as a victim, witness or co-defendant in the case.

Cabell determined that imposing electronic monitoring was not necessary.

Authorities arrested Ortiz at Boston Logan International Airport on Sunday morning, shortly before a 23-page indictment was unsealed at a Brooklyn, N.Y., courthouse.

Clase, a Cy Young Award finalist in 2024, was not in custody as of Sunday afternoon. A law enforcement source indicated Sunday that Clase was out of the country.

In a statement sent to The Athletic on Sunday, Georgalis claimed Ortiz was innocent, saying, in part, “He has never, and would never, improperly influence a game — not for anyone and not for anything. Luis is and always has been a fierce competitor. He has always given his best effort in every inning of every game. Those who have played with him know this. And the government’s investigation, including discussions with Luis’ teammates, supports this as well.”

While the case against Clase involves alleged pitch fixing as far back as May 2023, it wasn’t until June 2025 that, according to court documents, his teammate Ortiz — who had been acquired in December 2024 from the Pittsburgh Pirates — became involved.

According to the indictment, Ortiz agreed to throw balls on pre-determined pitches in two games — his June 15 and June 27 starts — in exchange for bribes and kickbacks. His conspirators’ winnings from betting on those pitches totaled more than $60,000. Ortiz received $12,000 for throwing the balls, and Clase cashed $12,000 for arranging the rigged pitches.

After the first rigged pitch, Clase sent Ortiz a photo of a receipt for a wire transfer of approximately 90,000 pesos (about $5,000) to Ortiz’s associate in the Dominican Republic and an audio message directing Ortiz to have his associate lie about why he had received the funds.

“They’re going to ask him what is that payment for over there,” Clase said, according to the indictment. “Tell him that this is payment for a horse. Payment for a horse. You got that?”

“Okay, perfect,” Ortiz replied.

Before Ortiz’s second rigged pitch, Clase allegedly gave a co-conspirator $15,000 to wager on Ortiz’s pre-determined pitch.

Ortiz’s pitches were flagged by a sports betting watchdog firm, and Ortiz was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave on July 3. Clase pitched for another three weeks before joining Ortiz on paid leave on July 28.

Nov 10, 2025

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Stephen J. Nesbitt is a senior MLB writer for The Athletic. He previously wrote for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, covering the Pittsburgh Pirates before moving to an enterprise/features role. He is a University of Michigan graduate. Follow Stephen on Twitter @stephenjnesbitt. Follow Stephen J. on Twitter @stephenjnesbitt