Meet the five players who were banned for betting on baseball

MLB

From Matt Ehalt

The latest group of athletes banned for sports betting includes a reliever with World Series experience, two former first-round picks and two mediocre MLB players.

The MLB suspended five players on Tuesday for violating the league’s sports betting policies. Among them was Padres all-rounder Tucupita Marcano, who was banned for life.

The other four, who each received a one-year suspension, are Athletics relief pitcher Michael Kelly, Padres pitching prospect Jay Groome, Phillies infield prospect Jose Rodriguez and Diamondbacks relief prospect/prospect Andrew Saalfrank.

Here’s a quick breakdown of each player.

Tucupita Marcano

Marcano, 24, did not play in the major leagues in 2024 after suffering a torn ACL last year.

The infielder with weak hitting skills posted a career slash line of .217/.269/.320/.589 with five home runs and 34 RBIs in 149 games with the Padres and Pirates.

Marcano began his career with the Padres before ending up in Pittsburgh following the trade of Adam Frazier to San Diego in 2021.

He posted a career-high .633 OPS and hit .233 for Pittsburgh last season.

Despite his injury, the Padres brought him off waivers last season.

Andrew Saalfrank

Saalfrank helped the Diamondbacks reach the World Series last year, posting a 3.18 ERA in 11 playoff games as a left-handed specialist.

He threw 2 1/3 scoreless innings in three World Series games.

The 26-year-old Saalfrank appeared in one game this season and allowed four runs in one inning.

Since his debut last year, he has started 12 regular season games as a pitcher and has an ERA of 3.18.

The Diamondbacks selected him in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

Michael Kelly

Kelly was the only one of the five players who was on the active MLB roster.

The 31-year-old right-hander posted a 2.59 ERA in 29 games for Oakland and has appeared in 46 games over three seasons since his Phillies debut in 2022.

He spent the 2023 season with the Guardians, recording a 1-0 record with a 3.78 ERA.

The Padres originally drafted Kelly in the first round (No. 48) of the 2011 MLB Draft before he was bounced around between different organizations.

Jay Groome

Groome has the best pedigree of the five, having been selected 12th overall by the Red Sox in the 2016 MLB Draft.

However, injuries and a drop in performance prevented the player from Barnegat Township, New Jersey, from moving up to the Major Leagues.

Boston later traded Groome to the Padres for Eric Hosmer in 2022, and he posted a 3.60 ERA in three starts at Triple-A El Paso this season.

Groome, 25, has appeared in 103 minor league games and posted a 5.54 ERA.

Jose Rodriguez

Rodriguez, 23, appeared in a game with the 2023 White Sox and scored one run after coming on as a pinch-runner.

The Phillies acquired Rodriguez from the White Sox in April after he was designated for trade.

The all-around infielder played 38 games for Philadelphia’s Double-A team Reading this season, hitting .265 with an OPS of .751.