Braves minor-league infielder David Fletcher bet on sports when he played with the Los Angeles Angels, ESPN reported Friday night, citing multiple unnamed sources.
The report said Fletcher placed bets with Mathew Bowyer, the Southern California bookmaker who also took wagers from Shohei Ohtani’s longtime interpreter. Ippei Mizuhara eventually stole nearly $17 million from the Japanese superstar to feed his addiction, according to prosecutors.
Fletcher has played in eight games for the Braves this season and has two RBIs and a .250 batting average. He started at second base for the Triple-A Gwinnett Stripers Friday night.
Major League Baseball is expected to formally investigate, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. MLB and the Braves declined comment Friday night.
Fletcher played for the Angels with Ohtani from 2018 to 2023 and they were described as very close friends by ESPN.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
ESPN also reported that another Fletcher friend, Colby Schultz, a minor leaguer for the Kansas City Royals from 2018 to 2020, also placed bets on baseball, including on Angels games that Fletcher played in while he was on the team.
Fletcher bet on several sports but not baseball, according to ESPN, citing multiple sources.
MLB players and employees are allowed to bet on sports other than baseball -- but not with illegal bookmakers such as Bowyer. The league rulebook states that players betting with illegal bookmakers are subject to punishment at the commissioner’s discretion.
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