MLB officially bans Tucupita Marcano and suspends four players for betting on baseball

Major League Baseball has banned one player for life and four others for one year for betting on baseball, the league announced Tuesday.

Tucupita Marcano, an infielder and outfielder for the San Diego Padres, was placed on the permanently banned baseball list after an investigation found that he placed approximately $150,000 worth of bets on baseball.

“Strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies on gambling conduct is a critical component of our most important priority: preserving the integrity of our games for fans,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “The longstanding prohibition on wagering on Major League Baseball games for those involved in the sport has been a core principle for over a century.

Marcano is the seventh individual and second active player to be suspended during Manfred’s tenure. In 2016, New York Mets pitcher Jenrry Mejía was suspended for doping violations (Mejía was later reinstated).

The other four players suspended for one year were minor league pitcher Jay Groome of the Padres, pitcher Michael Kelly of the Oakland Athletics, minor league infielder José Rodríguez of the Philadelphia Phillies and minor league pitcher Andrew Saalfrank of the Arizona Diamondbacks.