Report: Padres’ Tucupita Marcano Faces Lifetime Ban for MLB Betting; 4 More in Probe

Timothy Rapp@@TRappaRTFeatured Columnist IVJune 3, 2024

Adam Glanzman/MLB Photos via Getty Images

San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano is reportedly facing a lifetime ban from baseball for violating MLB’s gambling policy, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Jared Diamond and Lindsey Adler of the Wall Street Journal.

Jeff Passan @JeffPassanSan 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.

Per the WSJ’s report, “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.”

Four other players are also reportedly facing punishments for betting on games at the minor league level, according to Diamond and Adler.

The WSJ report added that Marcano’s “ultimate punishment hasn’t been finalized, pending ongoing negotiations between MLB and the MLB Players Association.”

The Padres released the following statement: “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 Padres. We will not have any further comment until the investigative process has been completed.”

The 24-year-old last played an MLB game in the 2023 season with the Pirates. For his career, he’s hit .217 with five homers and 34 RBI in 149 games.

Baseball has been immersed in gambling scandals this year, most notably the one involving Shohei Ohtani’s former translator, Ippei Mizuhara, who pleaded guilty to stealing over $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar to pay off debts to an illegal bookmaker. Ohtani was not involved in the scandal and has been cleared of any potential wrongdoing.

Ohtani’s former teammate on the Los Angeles Angels, David Fletcher, is being investigated for allegedly gambling with Matthew Bowyer, the same illegal bookie that Mizuhara used, according to ESPN’s T.J. Quinn. However, Fletcher is not being accused of betting on baseball.

Former minor leaguer and Fletcher’s friend, Colby Schultz, is being accused of betting on baseball—including Angels games involving Schultz—while using Bowyer as his bookie, per Quinn.

“Government cooperation will be crucial in a case like this where we don’t have evidence,” an MLB source told Quinn.