Emmanuel Clase, Luis Ortiz will face criminal trial in May 2026

Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz (pictured), the Cleveland Guardians pitchers facing federal gambling charges, now have a trial date.

Via multiple reports, jury selection commences on May 4. The trial itself could start that week or by the following Monday, May 11. The trial is expected to last two weeks.

Both men have pleaded not guilty to allegations that they rigged microbets on pitches they threw. Prosecutors said that they have not offered plea deals to the defendants.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer recently reported that Major League Baseball will likely wait for the legal process to end before imposing discipline, if any, on Clase and Ortiz. They could be suspended; they could be banned for life.

The incident prompted some sportsbooks to limit the amount of wagers that can be placed on individual pitches. The incident also has prompted Governor Mike DeWine to recently express regret regarding the decision to legalize sports betting in Ohio.

The NBA is dealing with a separate scandal involving the alleged rigging of prop bets, coupled with the misuse of inside information. The possibility of such abuses drives the action in Big Shield, which focuses on a backup quarterback in a fictional pro football league (officially not the NFL) and which includes as characters a player in a fictional pro basketball league (not the NBA) and a player in a fictional pro baseball league (not the MLB).

As far as anyone knows, the NFL has avoided a bet-rigging scandal. Given the fallout of the MLB and NBA incidents, the NFL would be very tempted to do everything it can to keep a similar situation under wraps for as long as possible.