"Where was this energy for Shohei Ohtani?" - Fans react as Guardians place Emmanuel Clase on paid leave amid MLB's sports gambling investigation

Shohei Ohtani was unexpectedly called out by plenty of fans, as Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase was put on non-disciplinary paid leave through August. Clase's removal from the playing roster took place after he was linked to the sports gambling investigation surrounding the Guardians.

Starting pitcher Luis Ortiz, who is also under MLB investigation, has also been on paid leave since early July.

ESPN broke the news with an Instagram post on Monday.

"Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase on Monday was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through August 31 as part of Major League Baseball's investigation into sports gambling, the second Guardians pitcher to be caught up in the inquiry" the post read

Reacting to the news, plenty of fans brought up Shohei Ohtani's gambling investigation case from 2024, which also involved his translator at the time, Ippei Mizuhara.

Comparing that to the one that Ortiz and Clase currently find themselves involved in, fans were quick to point out how MLB is seemingly enforcing a harsher set of rules in this case.

"They quick to put him on leave where was this energy for Ohtani," a fan said. "Just pull the Ohtani card, it was just his translator," another fan said.. "The gambler Ohtani never suspended," one fan said.

Screenshots of fans' comments on Instagram (Images from - Instagram.com/@espn)

"But when ohtani do it they cover it up," one fan said. "If only he had a translator 😢," another fan said. "He should have had an interpretor on payroll," a fan said.

Screenshots of fans' comments on Instagram (Images from - Instagram.com/@espn)

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How did Shohei Ohtani's gambling investigation conclude?

Finding himself at the center of a huge investigation just after joining the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent, Shohei Ohtani was finally cleared of any wrongdoing after about three months.

According to the courts, it was actually his translator, Ippei Mizuhara, who had used a sizeable amount of Ohtani's funds to finance his serious gambling addiction. It is estimated Mizuhara stole upwards of $17 million from Ohtani's bank account.

Ippei Mizuhara speaks on behalf of Shohei Ohtani after he signs for the Dodgers in 2024 - Source: Getty

Mizuhara pleaded guilty to his crimes in February 2025, and was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison. Shohei Ohtani and the Dodgers have since moved on, hiring Will Ireton as the man to accompany Ohtani for media interactions and press conferences.

Edited by nagpaltusharn25