MLB Lawsuit Trial: Jury Selection in the Guardians Pitch-Rigging Case Is Set for November 2, 2026 — 18 Pitches, $450,000 in Alleged Winnings, and No Money for Fans

Most people searching for the MLB lawsuit trial this fall are looking for United States v. Clase De La Cruz, the federal pitch-rigging prosecution of Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz in Brooklyn. Jury selection was set to begin on November 2, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto of the Eastern District of New York. ESPN reported the date in March (“Their trial is scheduled for the fall, with jury selection beginning Nov. 2”), and The Athletic repeated it in early September: the trial for Clase, Ortiz and a third defendant “is set to begin Nov. 2.” The latest report we found, ESPN on September 19, 2026, still said jury selection “is set to begin in November.”

This is a prosecution brought by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, not a class action. Nobody is suing Major League Baseball in it, there is no settlement fund, and fans, ticket holders and bettors have no claim to file. As of October 19, 2026, Clase and Ortiz have pleaded not guilty. The charges are allegations. In the indictment’s own words, “the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.” We could not read the court docket on October 19, so a last-minute change to the schedule would not show up here.

The superseding indictment, filed February 12, 2026 in case No. 1:25-cr-00346-KAM, alleges that Clase, the Guardians’ closer, agreed in advance with bettors on the type and speed of specific pitches, usually that a first pitch would be a ball or come in under a set velocity. The bettors then placed prop bets and parlays on those pitches. Ortiz, a starter, allegedly “joined the criminal scheme” in June 2025 and “agreed to throw specific pitches in certain MLB games in exchange for money.” The government’s summary: “Overall, the Bettors won at least $450,000 from the Betting Platforms on pitches thrown by” the two pitchers. That includes “at least $60,000” on Ortiz’s pitches in June 2025. Complex, reporting on the indictment, puts the Clase share at “at least $400,000” between 2023 and 2025.

For trial, prosecutors have narrowed the case. A filing reported by ESPN on September 19, 2026 lists 18 Clase pitches from 17 games between May 19, 2023 and May 28, 2025, including one from an October 5, 2024 American League Division Series game against Detroit. U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella wrote that the government “will only seek to prove that for one or more of approximately 18 of Clase’s pitches, and for two of Ortiz’s pitches, the defendants provided advance inside information about their pitches to others, who bet on them.” In February, Ortiz’s attorney had written that prosecutors accused Clase of suspect pitches in at least 48 games. Prosecutors also plan to show the jury MLB’s Rule 21 against betting and what they call false statements the pitchers gave to MLB investigators. Defense lawyers did not respond to The Athletic’s request for comment.

The jury decides one thing: whether the government has proved each charge beyond a reasonable doubt against each defendant. Clase and Ortiz face four counts: wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery, and money laundering conspiracy. A fifth count, false statements, charges only the third defendant over a January 9, 2026 interview with the FBI. According to the indictment language quoted by CBS Sports, each defendant faces a maximum of “20 years’ imprisonment” on each of the wire fraud, honest services and money laundering counts and five years on the bribery count. Added up, that is up to 65 years if convicted on everything. These are statutory maximums, not predictions. Any sentence would be set by the judge later, and only after a conviction.

Two rulings have already shaped the trial. In late August 2026 Judge Matsumoto denied both pitchers’ requests for separate trials, writing that Ortiz “has not shown that a joint trial will result in ‘substantial prejudice’ to his right to ‘a fair trial.’” In early September she rejected challenges to the indictment, including Clase’s bid to throw out the wire fraud conspiracy count.

Which MLB player got banned? As of the sources we read, neither Clase nor Ortiz has been banned. On March 20, 2026, ESPN reported that MLB and the players’ union moved both to “unpaid non-disciplinary leave,” and MLB said the agreement “is not an admission of any wrongdoing.” ESPN noted that while legal proceedings are pending, MLB “typically avoids issuing discipline in the form of suspensions or bans.” The Athletic describes the rule behind the case this way: under Rule 21, a player who bets on games he is involved in “will be banned from the sport for life.” Whether MLB acts on that is a league decision, separate from the verdict.

The defendants, the Guardians and MLB are the parties with the most at stake. Clase was due $6.4 million for 2026, but MLB ruled in March that the club does not have to pay him while he is on the restricted list. The case has also changed betting: after the indictment, MLB asked sportsbooks to cap individual-pitch bets at $200 and keep them out of parlays.

Fans are not parties, and a verdict creates no payout for anyone who bought tickets, watched games or placed bets. Any message offering “MLB trial compensation” or asking for bank details to “join” this case is not connected to the court. If your tickets disappeared from the MLB Ballpark app, that is a different civil case: Lanham v. MLB Advanced Media, No. 1:25-cv-07780 in Manhattan, where a judge let negligence and implied-contract claims proceed on September 30, 2026. As of October 2026 it has no settlement, fund or claim deadline. We track it on our MLB lawsuit case page. The MLB settlement many people remember, the $185 million minor league minimum-wage deal for about 24,000 players, was paid in 2023 and is closed.

• November 2, 2026: Jury selection is scheduled to begin in federal court in Brooklyn in United States v. Clase De La Cruz, No. 1:25-cr-00346-KAM, before Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto. This is the date reported by ESPN in March and repeated by The Athletic in early September; ESPN on September 19, 2026 said jury selection was set for November.
• After that: The sources we read give no further dated step. There is no published trial length, no sentencing date, and no settlement, claim or payment deadline, because this is a criminal case. We did not find a court filing that sets any other date.

We will update this story when the docket or the U.S. Attorney’s Office confirms that the trial has started or the date has moved. For the separate fan case over stolen Ballpark app tickets, follow the MLB lawsuit page.

MLB says it “contacted federal law enforcement at the outset of its investigation.” Ortiz was placed on MLB’s restricted list in June 2025 and Clase joined him about a month later. The indictment was unsealed in November 2025. Ortiz was released on $500,000 bond and Clase on $600,000 bond with GPS monitoring. The original trial date was in May 2026, but in February Judge Matsumoto said “The reality is, I think we’re going to be adjourning the trial.” The superseding indictment of February 12, 2026 spells out the coded language prosecutors say was used in texts, such as “rooster” for a batter. The indictment closes its introduction by saying the defendants “misled the public, and betrayed America’s pastime.” Those are the government’s words, and the jury will decide whether they are proven.