ARLINGTON, Texas -- Major League Baseball has cleared Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish after an investigation was triggered by his younger brother's arrest in Japan for gambling activities, the Dallas Morning News reported, citing a source.
Darvish has said he has never been involved in gambling, and baseball's investigation concluded there was no link to his brother's activities, the Morning News reported. A major league spokesman told the Japan Times in an email that the league was looking into the matter, per standard protocols.
Sho Darvish was reportedly charged in October in Japan for running an illegal gambling ring that allegedly took about 1,850 bets on MLB games as well as professional baseball games in Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball. It was unclear if any bets were taken on games involving the Rangers.
The Japan Times said Osaka police had not accused Yu Darvish of any wrongdoing.
On Tuesday, Darvish issued a statement through his agent to recognize MLB's need to conduct an investigation. He declined to comment but said he was certain they would find he had no involvement.
"I am not and have never been involved with gambling activities," the statement read. "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. I will not comment on this matter again, out of respect for Major League Baseball's investigation, and I am focused on preparing for the upcoming season."
Darvish, 29, missed all of last season after having ligament replacement surgery in his right arm during spring training. Darvish is not expected to be ready for the start of the season but could be back sometime in May.
The Rangers signed Darvish from Japan before the 2012 season. In 83 starts from 2012-14, Darvish was 39-25 with a 3.27 ERA, with 680 strikeouts and 218 walks in 545⅓ innings pitched.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.