San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano is one of multiple players under investigation by the league for violating the sport’s policy on gambling
Major League Baseball is investigating San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for violating the sport’s gambling policy, and he faces the possibility of a lifetime ban, people familiar with the matter said.
Marcano, 24 years old, has been accused of betting on games involving the Pittsburgh Pirates last season while he was on the injured list for that team.
Marcano’s ultimate punishment hasn’t been finalized, pending ongoing negotiations between MLB and the MLB Players Association. He would become the most prominent person to be permanently banned for betting on baseball since Pete Rose in 1989.
In addition to Marcano, four other players face potential discipline for betting on baseball while in the minor leagues, people familiar with the matter said. There is no evidence of games being manipulated at this time, people familiar with the matter said.
Through a representative, Marcano declined to comment. MLB and the MLBPA declined to comment.
Brian Warecki, the Pirates senior vice president of communications, said, “We are aware of the matter that’s under investigation and are fully cooperating. We will refrain from further comment at this time.” The Padres said that they are aware of an investigation “regarding a matter that occurred when the player in question was a member of another organization” and declined further comment.
The news of Marcano’s banishment comes amid a rapidly widening net of gambling scandals that have enveloped American sports, six years after the Supreme Court opened the door for legal sports betting. In April, the National Basketball Association banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for violating the league’s gambling policy, including providing confidential information to bettors and limiting his own participation for betting purposes.
The specter of gambling has loomed over baseball all season as well.
Federal prosecutors have charged the longtime interpreter for Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani with stealing more than $16 million from Ohtani to pay off debts for an illegal bookmaker. Ippei Mizuhara reached an agreement to plead guilty last month. Meanwhile, MLB is also investigating David Fletcher, Ohtani’s teammate on the Los Angeles Angels from 2018 through 2023, for allegedly betting on sports with the same illegal bookmaker.
The language of Rule 21, which outlines MLB’s gambling policy, is posted prominently in every clubhouse. Players are allowed to bet legally on sports other than baseball. A player betting on a baseball game involving teams other than his own results in a one-year suspension. Betting on a game involving your own team comes with a lifetime ban. (In 2015, MLB fined Miami Marlins pitcher Jarred Cosart for placing bets with an illegal bookmaker on sports other than baseball.)
Marcano last played on July 24, 2023, when he started at second base for the Pirates. He exited the game in the fifth inning after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while running the bases.
Marcano signed with the Padres as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela in 2016. He made his MLB debut in April 2021 and was traded to the Pirates that July. The Padres claimed him off waivers in November of last year.
In 149 MLB games, Marcano has hit .217 with five home runs.
San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano is among a list of five players who are facing punishment for violating the MLB’s gambling policy, the Wall Street Journal’s Lindsay Adler and Jared Diamond. Marcano could receive a lifetime ban, as he allegedly bet on Pittsburgh Pirates games when he was on the team’s injured list last season.
