One of four players suspended by Major League Baseball for violating Rule 21, which governs wagering on baseball, is nearing a return to the minor leagues, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reported.
Jose Rodriguez, a Philadelphia Phillies farmhand who appeared in 38 games for Double-A Reading in 2024, was suspended one year for wagering on baseball games on June 5, 2024. His was one of four one-year gambling suspensions announced that day, along with suspensions handed down to Padres pitcher Jay Groome, Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly, and Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Saalfrank. The same day, MLB announced that San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned for life under Rule 21.
Rodriguez, a native of Esperanza, Dominican Republic, batted .265/.319/.444 with four home runs, 18 RBIs and 13 walks for Reading before the suspension was issued. He previously appeared in one MLB game with the Chicago White Sox in 2023 before being traded to Philadelphia.
Dominican infielder Jose Rodriguez (24) will return to the MLB system with the Philadelphia Phillies after serving a one-year suspension for betting on baseball games, per sources.
It remains unclear which Minor League level he will be assigned to. pic.twitter.com/sYGNZgD2gl
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) June 5, 2025
Passed in the wake of the Black Sox scandal, where members of the 1919 Chicago White Sox took money from gamblers to intentionally lose the World Series to the Cincinnati Reds, Rule 21 (d) proclaims that player, umpire, or Club or League official or employee who wagers any amount of money on baseball games will be suspended for a year, and a person who wagers on a game in which they have a duty to perform will be placed on the permanently ineligible list.
When the suspension was announced, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that Rodríguez made 31 wagers on baseball in 2021-22. Twenty-eight were MLB bets and three were on college baseball games, all of which occurred while Rodriguez was on a minor league contract with the White Sox. Seven of the wagers involved the White Sox Major League team while he was assigned to the club’s Double-A affiliate in Birmingham, Ala. Two of the bets related to the White Sox involved the outcomes, while the remainder were on the over/under for runs scored in a game.
He bet a total of $749.09 on baseball, with $724.09 of that placed on MLB-related wagers according to Feinsand’s story.
Rodriguez went 2-for-5 in seven plate appearances over four games with the Aguilas Cibaenas of LIDOM last winter. The winter leagues are separate entities from MLB and do not have to honor MLB suspensions. The Phillies have yet to assign Rodriguez to a minor league affiliate, though he would likely be assigned to either Double-A Reading or Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Photo: Chicago White Sox second baseman Jose Rodriguez throws out Texas Rangers’ Jonah Heim at first base during the ninth inning of a baseball game in Chicago, Tuesday, June 20, 2023. The White Sox won 7-6. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)
