San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano is currently recovering from a torn ACL he suffered a season ago. That injury might now be the last time Marcano takes to a MLB field.
According to multiple media reports, the 24-year-old infielder is facing a potential lifetime ban by Major League Baseball for betting on games.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports that Marcano allegedly bet on Pittsburgh Pirates games while he was a member of that team a season ago.
“Marcano, 24, has yet to be formally penalized, but MLB Rule 21 explicitly states that a player who bets on games involving his own team is subject to a lifetime ban. Marcano tore an ACL last year and was on the injured list when he allegedly placed the bets, which were flagged by a sportsbook and reported to the league, according to sources.”
Report on Tucupita Marcano facing potential lifetime ban
The Wall Street Journal also reports that four minor league baseball players are facing similar bans for allegedly betting on games.
- Tucupita Marcano career stats: .217 average, 5 HR, 34 RBI
This comes with MLB also investigating former Los Angeles Angels player David Fletcher for betting on sports. That came to light amid a separate investigation into Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara.
This is becoming a real issue around the sports world. It was earlier in the year that the NBA handed down a lifetime ban to former Toronto Raptors players Jontay Porter for disclosing confidential information to bettors.