Athletics' reliever Michael Kelly suspended 1 year for betting on baseball
By Tim Smart
On Tuesday morning, Major League Baseball announced that suspensions had been handed out to five players who were found to have violated the league's sports betting policy.
Athletics reliever Michael Kelly was among those players and will be suspended for one year, per the league report.
Kelly was found to have placed 10 bets, including 9 bets on MLB games, back in 2021 when he was a member of the Houston Astros organization. The league reported that Kelly had wagered a total of $99.22 on those 10 bets, and that he netted a profit of $28.30 from the wagers.
The league also suspended Padres' pitcher Jay Groome, Phillies infielder Jose Rodriguez, Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Saalfrank, and Padres outfielder Tucupita Marcano.
Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano has been banned for life for violating MLB's gambling policy, MLB announced.
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) June 4, 2024
Padres’ Jay Groome, Phillies’ José Rodríguez, Diamondbacks’ Andrew Saalfrank and the Athletics’ Michael Kelly have all been suspended one year for betting.
Groome, Rodriguez, and Saalfrank were, like Kelly, suspended for one year for betting on MLB games that they were not involved in.
Marcano received the most harsh judgement of the group. MLB found Marcano to have placed 387 bets on baseball games in which he wagered more than $150,000. Marcano reportedly won just 4.3% of the bets he placed on MLB games.
Because of the severity of his betting, along with the fact that he was assigned with the Pirates during the time in which the bets were made, MLB suspended Marcano for life.
Michael Kelly's suspension will force the Athletics to make a roster move ahead of Tuesday's game
The Athletics have not yet made a move to address Kelly's spot on the active roster but they will likely do so in advance of Tuesday evening's matchup against the Mariners.
Kelly had been a solid presence in the A's bullpen this season, pitching to a 2.59 ERA in 31.1 innings. The 31 year old has pitched in parts of three MLB seasons but could find himself out of the league after this announcement.
The most likely route is that the Athletics recall RHP Tyler Ferguson to take Kelly's spot in Oakland. Ferguson has made 9 appearances with the A's this year, pitching to a 4.50 ERA.
Osvaldo Bido and Royber Salinas are also on the A's 40-man roster, though both have functioned as starters this year.
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