Major League Baseball (MLB) has determined Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish had no involvement with his brother’s gambling operation in Japan, US media reported on Saturday.
Both the Dallas Morning News and Fort Worth Star Telegram cited unnamed sources for their reports, which came after Darvish denied any involvement with gambling activities.
Sho Darvish was arrested in Osaka in October after a police investigation of more than one year and charged a month later with gambling and operating a ring that took bets on Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball games.
There was no indication he took bets on Rangers games.
Yu Darvish was never accused of involvement in his brother’s alleged operation, but Major League Baseball automatically investigates any alleged player involvement with gambling.
The 29-year-old right-hander had said earlier this week that he was sure the probe would show he wasn’t involved. “While I understand that Major League Baseball must conduct an investigation, I am certain that they will find that I had no involvement in this matter whatsoever,” the hurler said in a statement.
Yu Darvish, who missed the entire 2015 Major League Baseball campaign after undergoing Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, is expected to return in mid-May, or about six weeks into the six-month 2016 season.