Shohei Ohtani’s former teammate David Fletcher reportedly involved in gambling with Ippei Mizuhara’s bookmaker Mathew Bowyer

Just when it looked like the entire gambling scandal involving Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, had come to an end, another concerning detail has emerged. According to ESPN, former LA Angels infielder David Fletcher, who played with Ohtani and is now with the Atlanta Braves' Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett, placed bets with the same bookie who took wagers from Mizuhara.

Fletcher seems to have placed bets with Orange County resident Mathew Bowyer, who is under federal investigation. However, the report also mentioned that the bets were not placed on baseball games.

As per MLB rules, players are not allowed to bet on baseball games or deal with illegal bookmakers like Bowyer.

If a player is found to have bet on baseball games, he will be banned for a year. Also, if the player places bets on his own game, he will be subject to a permanent ban.

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David Fletcher's association with Shohei Ohtani and Colby Schultz

David Fletcher was a longtime teammate and friend of Shohei Ohtani who spent time with the Angels between 2018 and 2023.

"We're good friends," Fletcher told ESPN on March 18 when asked about his relationship with Ohtani. "We would talk on the bus and at the hotel.

However, Fletcher had been indirectly associated with betting before. One of his close friends, Colby Schultz, who was with the KC Royals (2018–2020), placed bets on baseball, especially the Angels games in which Fletcher played.

Schultz was one of Fletcher's closer mates, per ESPN, given that both grew up in Orange County and have often appeared together on Instagram posts.

MLB hasn't responded to these new developments, but a league source told ESPN that Fletcher, who was previously not investigated, may now face an investigation.

As for Fletcher, he hasn't commented on this report and was in line to start Gwinnett's game against the Memphis Redbirds on Friday night. Even the Braves, who have a contract with the infielder, haven't responded to the claims.

In an interaction with ESPN in March, Fletcher mentioned meeting Bowyer and despite knowing he was a bookmaker at the time. However, he claimed that he never placed a bet with his organization.