Padres Make Decision About First-Round Pick Suspended For Gambling

The Padres' decision on Groome was not a given. Michael Kelly, one of the other minor leaguers whose ban ended this week, was reinstated by the Athletics on Thursday.

Andrew Saalfrank, another minor leaguer punished for gambling on baseball, was reinstated by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D-Backs gave veteran reliever Scott McGough's roster spot to him Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Phillies reinstated — then non-tendered — the fourth player whose suspension ended Thursday, minor league infielder Jose Rodriguez.

Groome is a former first-round draft pick (12th overall) by the Boston Red Sox. He was found to have placed 32 MLB-related bets from in 2020-21 — 24 of those involving the Red Sox — while he was assigned to the organization’s High-A affiliate in Greenville, S.C. All 24 of those bets were on the final outcome of the games.

In total, Groome bet $453.74 on 30 MLB game-related wagers, incurring a net loss of $433.54 on those bets, according to the league. Groome did not appear in any of the games on which he bet, and he did not make any bets involving his assigned team.

A representative for Groome declined comment when contacted by The Athletic. He immediately becomes a free agent.

Groome had made three starts for Triple-A El Paso, totaling just five innings, at the time of his suspension. In 2023, the left-hander went 4-10 with an 8.55 ERA in 30 starts for the Padres' top farm team.

The Padres originally acquired Groome in the trade that sent first baseman Eric Hosmer to Boston on Aug. 2, 2022.

Groome is 19-34 with a 5.54 ERA in 103 games (101 starts) across parts of seven minor league seasons.

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