While Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is under investigation by MLB for possible links to sports betting, he is not expected to be sidelined by the league like Trevor Bauer was during his investigation.
There is no bigger story in baseball right now than the cloudy situation that two-time American League MVP Shohei Ohtani has found himself embroiled in. This past week, the Japanese star fired his interpreter after claiming he stole millions from him to place bets with an illegal bookmaker.
Yet it wasn’t long before rumblings around the league suggested the 29-year-old may have a deeper involvement in the various gambling wire transfers. After a great deal of speculation, on Friday the league officially began an investigation into the allegations, which made many wonder if Ohtani could soon be sidelined while the inquiry plays out.
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When former Dodgers ace Trevor Bauer was linked to sexual assault allegations three years ago, MLB placed him on administrative leave why they undertook their own investigation into the scandal that did not receive official charges from local authorities. However, Shohei Ohtani will not be placed in a similar situation despite the serious claims.
MLB won’t use administrative leave option on Shohei Ohtani
On Friday, ESPN MLB insider Alden Gonzalez reported that “unless something dramatic happens”, the two-way player will remain on LA’s active roster going forward.
“Administrative leave only applies to the domestic violence policy. There are other courses of action, but the fact Ohtani himself hasn’t been accused of gambling, and that there’s no evidence any party gambled on baseball, probably helps him under MLB’s scope at this point,” Gonzalez wrote in a follow-up post on X.
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While gambling may not be viewed as appalling a charge as domestic violence is socially, within sports it is one of the most reprehensible offenses and led to a still active lifetime ban for MLB legend Pete Rose. If found to have been gambling on games one of the best players the sport has ever seen could land a similar ban.
The Dodgers return to the field to face the Cardinals on Thursday, March 28.