The infielder was disciplined alongside four minor leaguers, including one who also has ties to the Padres.
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was permanently banned by Major League Baseball officials on Tuesday for violating the league’s gambling policy, while four others were placed on a one-year suspension for unrelated bets with a legal sportsbook.
The announcement comes one day after the investigation into bets made by the 24-year-old on baseball were made public. According to reports, the alleged sports betting occurred last year while Marcano was on the injured list after sustaining a season-ending ACL injury in July.
On Tuesday, league officials said their investigation found Marcano had placed 387 baseball bets, including 231 MLB-related wagers between Oct. 16, 2022 an Nov. 1, 2023. All wagers totaled over $150,000.
At the time, the infielder was with the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was first signed to the Padres as an amateur free agent from Venezuela in 2016 before being traded to the Pirates in 2021. He rejoined the Padres on waivers in the offseason last November and has spent his entire tenure with the team so far on the injured list.
Of the bets he placed, MLB officials said 25 were wagers on Pirates games while he was injured, but still on the team’s roster. Marcano bet almost exclusively on the outcomes of games and lost all of his parlay bets involving the Pirates, winning just 4.3% of all of his MLB-related bets.
According to the league, a legal sportsbook operator tipped off MLB officials about the sports betting activity.
Under Major League Rule 21, betting on any baseball game in which a player, umpire, league official to team employee has no duty to perform results in a one-year suspension. Betting on a game in which the person has a duty to perform results in a ban.
“The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,” Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century. We have been clear that the privilege of playing in baseball comes with a responsibility to refrain from engaging in certain types of behavior that are legal for other people.”
Marcano appears to be the first active major leaguer banned under the sport’s gambling provision since New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell in 1924. Pete Rose, baseball’s active career hits leader, famously agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation concluded he bet on Cincinnati Reds games while managing the team.
One other big leaguer, Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly, was declared ineligible for one year on Tuesday for betting on baseball while he was in the minor leagues. Additionally, minor leaguers Jay Groome of San Diego, José Rodríguez of Philadelphia and Andrew Saalfrank of Arizona were banned for one year for betting on major league games.
According to MLB, Groome placed 32 MLB-related bets between July 22, 2020 and July 24, 2021, while he was assigned to the Boston Red Sox’ High-A affiliate. Of those, 24 bets involved the Red Sox Major League Club.
None of the players punished on Tuesday played in games they bet on, according to league officials. All also denied to MLB that they had inside information relevant to the games they bet on, aligning with the testimony given by the sportsbook operator who tipped off the league.
In a statement, the Padres officials said they “cannot comment on violations that occurred outside of our organization,” but added they “fully support MLB’s sports betting policy and the need to adhere to all provisions of Rule 21.”
“We will continue to educate all members of our organization regarding their obligations under the policy,” the statement continued.
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