When gambling and sports betting started to become legalized across the country in more and more states, there was always a possibility that there would be players around the different professional sports leagues who would get involved in wagering.

That was the case for one of the Houston Astros former pitchers.

There were some rumblings that Major League Baseball was on the verge of handing out suspensions to multiple players who were caught making bets on games, and on Tuesday, they officially gave their punishments for those who were involved.

Current Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Michael Kelly has been suspended one year for violating MLB’s sports betting rules and policies according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.

As a member of the Astros’ organization in 2021 when he was with their Triple-A affiliate, it was discovered he was placing bets on Major League Baseball games, including those involving Houston, but was never on the field for any of the contests.

In a statement from the MLB, it was found that Kelly placed bets on nine Major League games out the 10 bets that were flagged, with three of them involving the Astros. He bet a total of $99.22 on these contests which was an average of $9.92 per bet. These involved wagers on the outcome, over/unders on runs scored, and pitcher strikeout numbers.

He denies that any outcomes of the games he bet were compromised.

After Kelly’s time with Houston, he made his big league debut a season later with the Philadelphia Phillies. So far in 2024, the right-hander has been one of the Athletics’ best relief arms, posting an ERA of 2.59 over his 28 appearances.

Now, he’ll be sidelined for a year after getting suspended for gambling on the sport he plays.

These stories will likely continue to happen as legalization of sports betting continues to spread to more states where MLB franchises are located.