Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz is the subject of a Major League Baseball gambling investigation and was placed on non-disciplinary leave Thursday, two people with knowledge of the investigation told The Associated Press.

The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity due to the nature of the investigation.

The investigation is related to in-game prop bets on two pitches thrown by Ortiz that received higher activity than usual during his starts at Seattle on June 15 and his recent outing against St. Louis on June 27. The gambling activity on the pitches was flagged by a betting-integrity firm and forwarded to MLB.

ESPN reported the firm IC360 recently also sent an alert to sportsbook operators regarding Ortiz.

The Athletic was the first to report that Ortiz’s suspension was related to gambling.

MLB said Ortiz’s paid leave is through the end of the All-Star break, when players return to their teams July 17 and games resume the following day. It can be extended if the investigation remains ongoing.

Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, said before Thursday night’s game at the Chicago Cubs that the team can continue to have contact with Ortiz, but he can’t enter any of the Guardians’ facilities. Ortiz returned to Cleveland on Wednesday night.

Ortiz was slated to be the starting pitcher for Thursday night’s series finale. Instead, left-hander Joey Cantillo was recalled from Triple-A Columbus. Cantillo is 1-0 with one save and a 3.81 ERA in 21 appearances this season.

“We learned very little last night, but knew we needed to get someone here today to start today’s game, and that really was our focus,” Antonetti said. “A lot has come out today, and that’s far more information than we have.

“Our focus is we’ll let the investigative process play out. To the extent Major League Baseball or anyone needs our support in that, we will obviously cooperate. But beyond that, there’s really not much we can do.”

Manager Stephen Vogt said he and Antonetti addressed the team about Ortiz’s situation and tried to answer questions the best they could.

It is another setback for a Guardians squad that has dropped a season-high six straight games and is 9-18 since May 1.

“Honestly, when I got the news yesterday I didn’t know how to feel,” Vogt said. “There’s so much unknowns with this, but you know what? Every team goes through adversity, maybe different kinds, but this is a resilient group. I’ve been through situations similar to this before in my career as a player, and what would I have wanted to hear? How would I want the manager to have reacted, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

The 26-year old Ortiz is in his first season with Cleveland after he was acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh last December. The right-hander is 4-9 with a 4.36 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 16 starts this season. The nine losses are tied for the most in the American League.

Wood joins Acuña Jr., Raleigh in derby

Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood became the third player to announce he will take part in the Home Run Derby.

The derby will be held on July 14, the night before the All-Star Game, at Truist Park in Atlanta. Wood joins Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. and Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who leads the majors with 33 homers, in the contest.

Wood has 22 homers this season. He’s the third Nationals player to take part in the Home Run Derby, joining Juan Soto (2022) and Bryce Harper (2013 and ‘18).

The 22-year-old Wood has 12 homers that have been hit harder than 110 mph. It’s the second most in the league behind Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani’s 13. Wood also has four dingers that have been launched longer than 445 feet.

Kershaw’s 3,000 Ks put him in rare company

It’s a big number for one of the biggest baseball stars of this generation — three-time Cy Young Award winner and Los Angeles Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw has reached 3,000 strikeouts.

It happened on Wednesday night in the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox when the 6-foot-4 lefty caught Vinny Capra looking with a slider, setting off a huge celebration from the adoring crowd at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw became just the 20th pitcher in MLB history — and one of three active pitchers along with Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer — to hit the milestone.

In his 18th season in Los Angeles, Kershaw joined Walter Johnson of the Washington Senators and Bob Gibson of the St. Louis Cardinals as the only pitchers with 3,000 or more strikeouts all for one team.

Kershaw is just the fourth left-hander in the club, joining Randy Johnson, Steve Carlton and CC Sabathia.

Alvarez’s setback not as serious as feared

Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez’s setback to his recovery from a fractured right hand is not as serious as first feared, general manager Dana Brown said Thursday.

Alvarez, who suffered the injury on May 2, was shut down after experiencing pain in his right hand. He had taken some swings at the team’s spring training complex in West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday and when he arrived there on Tuesday the area was sore.

He was examined by a specialist, who determined inflammation was the issue and not a setback with the fracture.

“It had nothing to do with the fracture, or the fracture not being healed,” Brown said before Houston’s game at Colorado. “The fracture at this point is a non-factor, which we’re very glad about. And so during the process of him being examined by the specialist, we saw the inflammation, and Yordan did receive two shots in that area.”

Alvarez first experienced issues with his hand in late April but stayed in the lineup. He was initially diagnosed with a muscle strain but a small fracture was discovered at the end of May.

Brown said there has not been an update on the timetable for Alvarez’s return but said with the latest update it “could be in the near future.”

Briefly

Angels >> The Los Angeles Angels placed rookie second baseman Christian Moore on the 10-day injured list with a sprained left thumb on Thursday.