MLB bans Tucupita Marcano for life for gambling and suspends four others

For the first time since Major League Baseball opened its wallets to a flood of advertising and partnerships with sports betting operators, the league has banned a player for life for betting on baseball games in which his team was participating.

San Diego Padres player Tucupita Marcano was one of five players suspended Tuesday for betting. The other four — including Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly and Arizona Diamondbacks minor leaguer Andrew Saalfrank, who pitched in last year’s World Series — were suspended for a year for betting on baseball games in which their team was not participating.

The lifetime ban on betting on baseball is the first since 1989, when Pete Rose agreed to such a ban as manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

The league said it received a tip from “a legal sportsbook” in March and confirmed the players’ bets with other bookmakers.

The league also said none of the five players appeared in the games they bet on and that there was no evidence – including betting data or interviews with players – to suggest the games were “in any way compromised, influenced or manipulated.”

The league continues to investigate former Angels infielder David Fletcher and his connection to the illegal betting operation of Ippei Mizuhara, Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter. Mizuhara is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on Tuesday, where he is expected to plead guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of tax fraud.

Marcano placed 387 baseball bets worth more than $150,000, most of them while he was on the injured list with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season.

“Ultimately, Marcano lost all of his parlay bets involving the Pirates and won only 4.3% of all of his MLB-related bets,” the league said in a statement.

Kelly placed 10 baseball bets totaling $99.22 in 2021 as a minor league player in the Houston Astros organization.

Saalfrank placed 29 baseball bets valued at $445.87 as a minor leaguer in the Diamondbacks organization in 2021 and 2022. The MLB said, “Saalfrank won only five of his 28 MLB-related bets and lost his $1.80 college bet.”

The other minor league players who received one-year suspensions are Padres pitcher Jay Groome and Phillies infielder Jose Rodriguez. The league said none of the five suspended players have filed an appeal.