Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz could face a jury in the spring, after a federal judge in Brooklyn set a trial date in their sports betting conspiracy case for early May.

Clase and Ortiz are accused of taking bribes to throw balls instead of strikes for bettors who placed “prop bets” on individual pitches through online gambling platforms.

Clase, 27, a star closer with a $20 million contract, has been involved in the scheme since at least May 2023, the feds say, and is accused of conspiring with gamblers for him to throw balls and slower, “slider” pitches instead of strikes and “cutters” on the first pitch of certain at-bats.

He brought Ortiz, 26, into the conspiracy this year and acted as a middleman between Ortiz and his accomplices, the feds allege.

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