Tucupita Marcano banned for life, four others suspended due to gambling investigation

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From Eric Richter

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Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was officially banned from MLB for life on Tuesday for betting on Pirates games last season while a member of the team, Commissioner Rob Manfred announced.

Four other players – A’s pitcher Michael Kelly, Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Saalfrank, Padres pitcher Jay Groome and Phillies infielder Jose Rodriguez – were suspended for a year for betting on other teams.

It turned out that Marcano had bet on the Pirates while he was on their injured list.

The 24-year-old, who Spotrac estimates earned $2.7 million during his baseball career, has a career average of .217 and an OPS of .589 in 149 games.

Kelly, 31, is in his first season with the Athletics after pitching for the Guardians last year and the Phillies in 2022.

This season he has an ERA of 2.59 in 28 appearances.

Saalfrank, 26, spent parts of the last two seasons with the Diamondbacks, most recently allowing four runs in ⅓ inning on April 29 before being demoted to Triple-A Reno on May 1.

The left-handed specialist played a pretty important role in his surprise World Series appearance last fall, allowing three runs (two earned) in 5 ⅔ innings in 11 appearances, including Games 2, 3 and 4 of the World Series.

Spotrac estimates that Saalfrank has earned $361,341 in his playing career to this point, but signed a one-year, $740,000 guaranteed contract this past offseason.

As for the two minor league players, Jay Groome and Jose Rodriguez never made the major league debut and their career earnings appear to be unknown, according to Spotrac.

Marcano was signed by the Padres as a 16-year-old from Venezuela in 2016 before being traded to the Pirates in 2021.

He played his last major league game in July 2023, when he tore his ACL while running around the bases.

This is another major blow to baseball, which has been embroiled in gambling scandals this season.

Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was charged in April with stealing more than $16 million from the Dodgers superstar to pay off betting debts with an illegal bookmaker.

Ohtani’s former Angels teammate David Fletcher is also being investigated by MLB for allegedly placing bets with the same illegal bookmaker.

According to Rule 21(d) in the official MLB manual regarding misconduct: “Any player, umpire or official or employee of a club or league who wagers any amount on a baseball game in which the bettor has an obligation to perform shall be permanently disqualified.”

They also lay the foundation for legal and illegal betting.

Fletcher, who was a member of the Los Angeles Angels last season, lived in California, where sports betting is not legal.

“Illegal wagering on any sport is prohibited,” the MLB misconduct manual continues. “But players may legally wager on any sport except baseball. Wagering on a baseball game involving teams other than the player’s own team will result in a one-year suspension, while wagering on a game involving the player’s own team will result in a lifetime ban.”

In 1989, Pete Rose was banned for life after it was discovered that he had bet on the Reds to win between 1985 and 1987, when he played for and coached them.

The NBA banned Raptors forward Jontay Porter for life in April for giving bettors inside information and manipulating his playing time to influence bets.