They were suspended for betting on baseball. Now their teams are welcoming them back

New York Times

a day ago

A year after Major League Baseball suspended four players for betting on baseball, the sport now finds itself in the unusual situation of bringing the group back to the field — and their teams seem ready to welcome them back.
Relievers Andrew Saalfrank and Michael Kelly, starter Jay Groome and infielder Jose Rodriguez were suspended for a calendar year on June 4, 2024, for violating Rule 21, which prohibits betting on baseball. Infielder Tucupita Marcano was also banned from the sport that day for betting more than $150,000 on baseball, including bets on Pittsburgh Pirates games while on their roster.
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While the suspended quartet did gamble on MLB games — all as minor leaguers — none of their bets involved teams they were playing on. Now those players are welcome to resume their careers, and their teams appear to be ready to take them back.
The Arizona Diamondbacks will bring back Saalfrank. The A's also plan to bring back Kelly. The San Diego Padres are still evaluating Groome's status with the organization, while the Philadelphia Phillies have welcomed Rodriguez back to their facility. That's all according to sources with the individual teams, who were granted anonymity to speak freely due to the sensitive nature of the issue.
The suspensions were a shock for the sport. While baseball has a long and difficult history with gambling — from the Chicago Black Sox to Pete Rose's lifetime ban that last month was posthumously lifted, to interpreter Ippei Mizuhara recently funding his own bets with Shohei Ohtani's money — this was the first instance of players being caught using legal online betting companies. Earlier this spring, major league umpire Pat Hoberg was fired for sharing a sports betting account with a friend who bet on baseball.
According to MLB's statement at the time, the league was informed of the betting activity by its sports book partners, and subsequently conducted an investigation. The league declined to answer if it has updated any protocols in the wake of these suspensions, and instead reiterated commissioner Rob Manfred's statement from the initial announcement.
'MLB will continue to invest heavily in integrity monitoring, educational programming and awareness initiatives with the goal of ensuring strict adherence to this fundamental rule of our game,' Manfred said as part of that statement.
A spokesperson for the players' union declined comment for this story.
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Even though all the suspended players are eligible to return, the teams are not actually required to bring them back.
MLB and the Players Association agreed to a special carve-out, according to a league source, that allowed the players back into their teams' facilities 30 days before the expiration of their suspension.
After June 5, the teams then have 10 days to decide whether to offer a contract to the players or non-tender them. The teams also have 30 days after June 5 to place the players on a roster, including a minor league affiliate. However, teams could use the development list to extend the ramp-up period.
Both Saalfrank, 27, and Kelly, 32, were important pieces for their respective teams before their suspensions. Saalfrank was in Triple A, but made 11 postseason appearances during Arizona's World Series run in 2023. And Kelly had a 2.59 ERA in 28 appearances for Oakland ahead of his suspension.
Groome, 26, was in Triple-A at the time of his suspension, and has yet to make his big league debut despite being the No. 12 pick in the 2016 draft. Rodriguez, 24, has played in just one big league game — with the Chicago White Sox in 2023. He played four games in the Dominican Winter League during his suspension.
The bets in question weren't for significant sums. Saalfrank's bets totaled $445.87, which included 28 bets on baseball from Sept. 9, 2021, to March 9, 2022. At the time, he was a minor leaguer in the Diamondbacks' system. A team source said that Saalfrank has been apologetic and contrite, recognizing the mistake he made. It's expected that he — and all the players involved — will have to address the situation publicly when they start playing in games.
Kelly bet a total of $99.22 over a 12-day span in October of 2021. At the time, Kelly was a Triple-A player in the Houston Astros' system, and three of his nine bets involved his team, which was competing in the postseason. He was the only player to end up with a profit, making a net of $28.30.
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Groome bet $453.74 on baseball over three days in July 2021, while Rodriguez wagered $749.09 from September 2021 through June 2022.
Representatives for Saalfrank and Kelly did not respond to multiple interview requests, and a representative for Groome declined comment. Neither of the players could be reached for comment.
Leagues across the sports world have had to deal with the rise and ease of legalized sports betting, even while profiting financially from their partnerships. The Athletic has a business partnership with online sportsbook BetMGM. In the NBA, former Raptors forward Jontay Porter was banned for life for manipulating his playing time.
Several NFL players have been suspended for gambling, most notably then-Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley in 2022. College basketball has also dealt with serious issues over bets influencing the outcomes of games and individual player performances, leading to a federal investigation.
An MLB spokesperson declined to say, when asked, if they believed these suspensions and the Marcano ban will be an effective deterrent in avoiding future issues.
'(The enforcement of) 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,' Manfred wrote at the time of the suspensions. 'The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century.'
— The Athletic's Dennis Lin and Matt Gelb contributed reporting to this story.
(Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; top photos: Michael Reaves, Brandon Sloter / Image Of Sport, Sean M. Haffey, Chris Bernacchi / Diamond Images / Getty Images)