MLB suspends prospect over age fraud in Guardians deal

Major League Baseball has suspended a Dominican Republic baseball prospect after an investigation uncovered an elaborate scheme in which the player allegedly faked his own death, adopted his younger brother's identity, and shaved two years off his age to secure a multimillion-dollar agreement with the Cleveland Guardians. The player, whose real name is Daury David Severino Damaso, was 16 years old at the time of the suspension, not 13 or 14 as previously represented. The fraud, which reportedly began in 2023, involved Severino's former trainer, Francisco Nieves, creating the false identity of "David Severino Damaso," posing as Daury's younger brother.