MLB Bans Tucupita Marcano For Life For Betting on Baseball

Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY SportsMLB announced today it will ban San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life after betting on baseballMarcano placed 387 bets on baseball, including 231 MLB-related bets, from Oct. 2022 to Nov. 2023Four other players were suspended for one year

Baseball has suspended a major league athlete for life after being tipped off by a legal sports betting operator he was making substantial bets on the sport.

Major League Baseball announced today it has banned San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for life after he was found to have placed hundreds of bets on baseball, including his own team, from Oct. 16, 2022, through Nov. 1, 2023.

Marcano made several bets on the Pittsburgh Pirates while he was on the team’s major league roster, but he did not appear in any of those games due to an injury. Four other players were suspended for one year for also betting on baseball.

Marcano Bet More Than $150,000

In March 2024, MLB learned from a licensed sports betting operator that it identified baseball betting activity from accounts connected to a major league player and several minor league players. None of the players played in any game on which they placed a bet.

In a released statement, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred explained the strict enforcement of baseball’s rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding the integrity of the game.

“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. Since the Supreme Court decision opened the door to legalized sports betting, we have worked with licensed sports betting operators and other third parties to put ourselves in a better position from an integrity perspective through the transparency that a regulated sports betting system can provide. 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,” he said.

Marcano was banned for violating Major League Rule 21, which disallows any player, umpire club or league official or employee from betting any sum whatsoever upon a baseball game. Those found betting on baseball where they have “no duty to perform” will be declared ineligible for one year, while a bettor that “has a duty to perform” will be declared permanently ineligible.

Betting data showed Marcano placed 387 baseball bets from Oct. 16, 2022, through Nov. 1, 2023. In total, Marcano placed more than $150,000 on baseball, with $87,319 of that total on MLB-related bets. Of these bets, 25 in total involved the Pittsburgh Pirates while Marcano was assigned to the team.

However, Marcano did not appear in any of the games he bet on, as he was on the injured list for a season-ending knee injury on July 24, 2023.

According to betting data, Marcano only won 4.3% of his MLB-related bets and lost all of his parlays involving the Pirates.

Four Others Suspended for One Year

Major league player Michael Kelly (Oakland Athletics pitcher) and Minor League players Jay Groome (Padres pitcher), José Rodríguez (Philadelphia Phillies infielder) and Andrew Saalfrank (Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher), have all been suspended for one year by MLB.

Kelly was found to have bet $99.22 on 10 MLB games from Oct. 5, 2021, through Oct. 17, 2021, while he was a minor league player assigned to the Houston Astros’ Triple-A affiliate in Sugar Land, Texas.

He won five MLB game bets and netted $28.30.

Groome was found to have bet $453.74 on 30 MLB game-related bets and had a net loss of $433.54 on these bets. He placed the bets between July 22, 2020, through July 24, 2021. Of the bets, 24 included the Red Sox, all of which Groome placed while he was assigned to the Red Sox High-A affiliate in Greenville, South Carolina.

Rodriguez bet $749.09 on baseball, with $724.09 of that on MLB-related bets. He placed 31 baseball bets in total, three on college and 28 on MLB. His MLB bets included seven bets involving the Chicago White Sox while he was assigned to the White Sox Double-A affiliate in Birmingham, Alabama.

Saalfrank placed 29 baseball bets, including 28 MLB related bets and one parlay bet on college baseball. He bet $445.87 on baseball, with $444.07 on MLB bets. He had a net loss of $272.64 on MLB bets.

He placed the bets from Sept. 9, 2021, through March 9, 2022. Saalfrank placed all of his MLB-related bets, including four bets involving the Diamondbacks, which he was assigned to and on the injury list of the Diamondbacks Low-A affiliate.