MLB investigating Darvish in brother's gambling case

Major League Baseball will investigate Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish after his younger brother was charged last year with operating a gambling ring that took bets on MLB and Nippon Professional Baseball games in Japan.

"We are aware of this situation and are looking into it, per our standard protocols," MLB's vice president for communications Michael Teevan told Jack Gallagher from The Japan Times.

Darvish hasn't been accused of any illegal activity, but is being investigated in order to determine if there's any link between he and his brother's arrest.

Yu's brother, Sho Darvish, was arrested Oct. 27 following a year-long investigation in which he's alleged to have accepted roughly 1,850 wagers valued at ¥10,000 ($1,520 USD) each on professional games in both North America and Japan, according to Gallagher. It's unknown if any games involved the Rangers.

Yu Darvish has spent the past four seasons with the Rangers, but missed all of the 2015 campaign after undergoing Tommy John surgery. The 29-year-old three-time All-Star is owed $21 million over the next two seasons.