Four Players Back in MLB Following Rule 21 Suspensions

Four Major League Baseball players are back in action after completing year-long suspensions for violating the league’s gambling rules. While none of the bets involved games tied to their own teams, MLB maintained a strict line, citing long-standing rules against any form of wagering by active personnel.

Good to know

• Four players served one-year bans for betting on baseball games.
• None of the bets involved their own teams’ matchups.
• One player, Tucupita Marcano, remains permanently banned for more severe violations.

Pitchers Michael Kelly (Athletics), Jay Groome (Padres), and Andrew Saalfrank (Diamondbacks), along with Phillies infielder José Rodriguez, have all officially completed their suspensions and are now eligible to play. MLB reinstated them after a review confirmed they had fulfilled the full term of their one-year penalties.

Each player was suspended in June last year for violating Rule 21, a policy that prohibits all MLB personnel from betting on any baseball game—even if not directly involved. According to the Associated Press, Kelly bet less than $100 across five games, while Rodriguez wagered about $750 on parlays. Groome and Saalfrank placed $453 and $445 in wagers respectively, also on parlays and props.

Kelly returned to the mound immediately following his reinstatement. In his first game back with the Athletics, he pitched 1⅓ innings in a dominant 14-3 win over the Twins. Manager Mark Kotsay said the team had been preparing for his return. “The last day when he walked out of the clubhouse, I told him to focus on getting through this and continue to prep to be back in the uniform,” Kotsay said. “To have him in a game today and see him have success, it couldn’t been a better part of the day.”

The Diamondbacks assigned Saalfrank to their rookie-level Arizona League Complex. Groome and Rodriguez, however, are no longer under contract and have entered free agency.

Permanent bans still possible

While these four players received one-year bans, MLB has taken harsher action in more severe cases. Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano received a lifetime ban for placing nearly 400 wagers, totaling over $87,000. More than two dozen of those bets involved his own team, even though he did not appear in those games. Under Rule 21, players who bet on games connected to their own team face permanent ineligibility.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has been clear about the importance of keeping the game clean. “The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century,” he said during the initial suspension announcement. “The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans.”

Earlier this year, Manfred also reinstated Pete Rose and 16 other deceased individuals who had previously been banned permanently.