Padres’ Tucupita Marcano Receives Lifetime MLB Ban for Betting on Baseball

Major League Baseball has issued a lifetime ban to San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano for betting on baseball. Additionally, four other players have been suspended for one year for placing unrelated bets with a legal sportsbook.

Marcano is the first active major leaguer banned under the sport’s gambling rules since New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell in 1924. Pete Rose, MLB’s all-time hits leader, accepted a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation revealed he bet on Cincinnati Reds games while managing the team.

Marcano was found to have placed 387 baseball bets, including 231 on MLB games, between October 16, 2022, and November 1, 2023, totalling over $150,000. The league stated that 25 of those bets were on Pittsburgh Pirates games while he was on their major league roster. However, he did not play in any of those games due to a season-ending knee injury. Marcano primarily bet on game outcomes, losing all his parlay bets involving the Pirates and winning only 4.3% of his MLB-related bets.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly received a one-year suspension on Tuesday for betting on baseball while in the minor leagues. Minor leaguers Jay Groome of San Diego, José Rodríguez of Philadelphia, and Andrew Saalfrank of Arizona were also banned for one year for betting on major league games.

The league was alerted to the betting activity by a legal sports betting operator. None of the punished players participated in games they wagered on, and all denied having inside information relevant to their bets, which MLB confirmed aligns with data from the sportsbook.

“Strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s gambling rules is crucial to protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,” said MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in a statement. “The prohibition against betting on MLB games by those within the sport has been a fundamental principle for over a century. We have made it clear that playing in baseball comes with the responsibility to avoid certain behaviours that may be legal for others.”