SAN DIEGO _ The months-long investigation into a report that linked Ryan Howard to performance-enhancing drug use is near its conclusion, officials from Major League Baseball said Tuesday.
All signs point to Howard's avoiding discipline from baseball.
Commissioner Rob Manfred declined to comment on the investigation because he said it is still ongoing.
Howard, along with Washington first baseman Ryan Zimmerman and athletes from other sports, were named in an Al Jazeera report in December that employed an undercover athlete to expose doping circles. Both Howard and Zimmerman sued the network for defamation and have repeatedly denied the claims made in the report.
"The investigation is ongoing," Dan Halem, MLB's chief legal officer, said Tuesday. "We're close to completing it."
Howard faced a possible suspension when the league began its inquiry before spring training. But he met in March with MLB investigators, who have spent months verifying the players' denials.
The Phillies first baseman has declined to comment on the matter, beyond a statement he issued in January when he filed his defamation suit, which is still in litigation.
"Their irresponsible reporting forced me to take this action," Howard said then, "to protect my name and to fight back against the spreading of these lies."
Howard, 36, is owed a little more than $20 million on the remainder of his contract, which will expire after the season when the Phillies decline his 2017 option. He batted .154 in the first half and 12 of his 31 hits were home runs.
