Bo Naylor Defends Clase and Ortiz in Pitch-Rigging Trial

Former Cleveland Guardians catcher Bo Naylor testified Thursday in the federal trial of Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, telling jurors that pitches identified by prosecutors as potentially manipulated appeared consistent with normal baseball strategy.

Naylor, who played five seasons with Cleveland before moving to the Milwaukee Brewers in August 2026, appeared as a defense witness in the Brooklyn proceedings. He had caught both pitchers during the period covered by the allegations, including seven of the 18 pitches prosecutors claim Clase manipulated between May 2023 and May 2025. He was also behind the plate for 14 of Ortiz’s 16 starts during the 2025 season.

The testimony gave the defense an opportunity to challenge the prosecution’s interpretation of the disputed pitches through the perspective of a catcher who had worked directly with both players. Naylor was shown numerous video recordings of the throws and questioned about their intended locations, the pitchers’ abilities and the scouting information available before games.

He said he had seen nothing that suggested the pitches were deliberately altered to benefit bettors.

Naylor Explains the Baseball Strategy Behind the Pitches

One of the exchanges concerned a pitch thrown by Ortiz during a June 27, 2025, game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Naylor was behind home plate when Ortiz threw an outside slider to Pedro Pagés, whose hitting weaknesses had been identified in the team’s scouting material.

After reviewing the footage, Naylor indicated that he appeared to have called the pitch through the PitchCom system. He explained that the scouting report recommended targeting the batter with sliders in that area.

“Slider low and away,” Naylor told Paul Flannery, one of Ortiz’s attorneys. He also described the pitch as a suitable option for challenging the hitter.

“Seems like a pretty good pitch to have as a weapon if you want to induce chase,” Naylor testified in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, according to Outkick Sports.

Naylor explained that catchers and pitchers routinely discuss opposing hitters before games. Those conversations establish how to approach individual batters, taking account of their weaknesses and previous performances. A pitch outside the strike zone can therefore form part of a deliberate attempt to make a hitter swing at an unfavorable delivery.

The defense also highlighted that five of the seven at-bats in which Naylor caught an allegedly manipulated Clase pitch ended with outs. That point supported its argument that pitches outside the strike zone could still serve a legitimate competitive purpose.

Naylor acknowledged that even highly skilled pitchers cannot guarantee that every delivery will reach its intended location. He described Clase as having “pretty good command” while explaining that the reliever controlled his fastball more consistently than his offspeed pitches.

The prosecution subsequently showed footage in which Clase appeared to reject catcher signals before delivering two of the disputed pitches. Prosecutors suggested that these moments indicated he had consciously selected slower deliveries that would result in balls and potentially trigger betting payouts.

Naylor was also questioned about seeing Clase frequently using his cellphone in the clubhouse. Prosecutors have alleged that the pitcher communicated with bettors during games, potentially violating Major League Baseball rules.

Despite those questions, Naylor said he had not been aware before the scandal that sportsbooks offered wagers on individual pitches and their specific characteristics.

Prosecution Presents Betting Records and Witness Testimony

While Naylor’s appearance provided the defense with testimony from a former teammate, prosecutors continued building their case through evidence concerning the alleged betting operation.

Clase and Ortiz face accusations of manipulating pitch locations and speeds to help outside bettors win wagers on individual deliveries. The alleged activity involved micro-bets covering outcomes such as pitch velocity and whether a delivery would result in a ball or a hit batter.

According to the indictment, bettors allegedly collected approximately $400,000 through betting platforms on Clase’s pitches between 2023 and 2025, with Ortiz allegedly joining the arrangement in June 2025. The Department of Justice has separately alleged that the pair generated at least $450,000 by agreeing with co-conspirators to deliver predetermined pitches.

One of the prosecution’s witnesses, Edward Canario, testified Thursday that co-defendant Luis Arismendy Paca Méndez instructed him to place specific wagers on Clase’s pitches during May and June 2023.

Canario said Paca Méndez described the opportunities as “for-sure bets” and instructed him to keep the information confidential. According to his testimony, Paca Méndez was living with Clase in Cleveland at the time, and Canario had seen the two together during a video call.

Canario also told the court that he placed wagers of up to $600 on individual pitches. These included bets on the exact speed of a delivery and whether a pitch would produce a ball or hit a batter. Some wagers concerned the first pitch of the ninth inning in particular games.

“I had inside information on these pitches,” he told the court. However, during questioning by defense attorneys, Canario acknowledged that Paca Méndez had never explicitly told him that he possessed inside information.

Additional evidence came from Joel Trella, director of DraftKings’ special investigations unit. Trella testified that the sportsbook had recorded 160 geolocation pings from an account associated with activity at Clase’s residence. A government attorney also told the court that 14 people had been geolocated at the property on the relevant day.

Criminal Charges Carry Potentially Lengthy Sentences

The case centers on alleged violations of baseball’s restrictions concerning gambling and cooperation with bettors. MLB rules prohibit players from betting on baseball games, disclosing sensitive information to known gamblers or helping outside parties profit from wagers involving sporting contests.

Naylor told jurors that cooperating with outsiders in such an arrangement would represent a “betrayal.” Nevertheless, he said he did not believe Clase or Ortiz had engaged in wrongdoing based on what he had witnessed during their time together in Cleveland.

The two pitchers were indicted in November 2025 by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. Both pleaded not guilty and have consistently maintained their innocence.

Prosecutors allege that Clase manipulated pitches across 17 games over a period beginning in May 2023. One allegation describes an instance in which he allegedly used his cellphone during a game to coordinate a particular delivery with a bettor.

The pitchers have remained away from MLB competition since being placed on non-disciplinary administrative leave in late June 2025. The league is conducting its own investigation and retains the authority to impose disciplinary measures regardless of the outcome of the criminal proceedings.

The charges include wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sporting contests by bribery and money laundering conspiracy. If convicted, Clase and Ortiz could face maximum prison sentences of up to 65 years. Judge Kiyo A. Matsumoto indicated that the trial was expected to continue until at least December 3.