Major League Baseball is investigating Tucupita Marcano of the San Diego Padres for potential gambling violations that could result in the infielder being banned from baseball for life, according to the Wall Street Journal which broke the story Monday afternoon.
Marcano is being accused of betting on baseball games, including wagers on his own team, while he was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates last season. ESPN's Jeff Passan also confirmed that sources told him the league is weighing a lifetime ban for Marcano. The WSJ report added that four other baseball players are being investigated for betting on baseball while in the minor leagues and could face discipline.
San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano is facing a potential lifetime ban for betting on baseball, sources tell ESPN.
While Major League Baseball's investigation into Marcano is not complete, a penalty, as @lindseyadler and @jareddiamond reported, could be imminent.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) June 3, 2024
MLB rules prohibit players and staff from betting on baseball in any capacity. Betting on baseball alone could lead to a year-long suspension, and betting on a game involving that player or staff member's team could result in a permanent ban:
(1) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has no duty to perform, shall be declared ineligible for one year.
(2) Any player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee, who shall bet any sum whatsoever upon any baseball game in connection with which the bettor has a duty to perform, shall be declared permanently ineligible.
This news comes on the heels of several high-profile sports betting scandals across American sports. Shoehei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, set off a firestorm of controversy around himself and the Los Angeles Dodgers star when it was revealed that he was under federal investigation for allegedly wiring millions of dollars from Ohtani's bank account to pay gambling debts made with an illegal bookmaking operation. Additionally, last month news broke that Ohtani's former teammate David Fletcher also bet with the same bookie as Mizuhara. However, none of his bets reportedly were on baseball.
In the NBA, former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA for life after the league found that he disclosed "confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes."
Marcano came up in the Padres organization after signing as an international free agent in 2016. He made his MLB debut as a pinch hitter early in the 2021 season. The Padres dealt him later that summer to the Pirates as part of a four player deal that brought Adam Frazier to San Diego. He returned to the organization in November of 2023 after Pittsburgh waived him.
The Padres released a statement shortly after the news broke.
"We are aware of an active investigation by Major League Baseball regarding a matter that occurred when the player in question was a member of another organization and not affiliated with the San Diego Padres. We will not have any further comment until the investigative process has been completed.
Marcano hasn't played in an MLB game since last July after tearing his ACL. Overall, he's appeared in 149 MLB games, hitting .217 with five home runs and seven stolen bases.
