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After it was revealed last year that investigators for Major League Baseball were using DNA testing on teenage prospects and their parents to verify the players’ ages to combat identity fraud, genetic experts roundly criticized the practice and raised questions about its legality.
In response, baseball halted the practice. The investigators have begun using DNA testing again but are doing so under new guidelines, according to baseball officials.
Prospects and their families are now invited to submit additional information — including documents, photos, medical records and DNA testing information — if an initial investigation by Major League Baseball proves inconclusive, according to baseball officials.
Accepting DNA test results must be approved by Sandy Alderson, who is in charge of revamping baseball’s operations in the Dominican Republic.
The testing does not reveal an age, but it can reveal whether the player is the son of his claimed parents. Several top prospects have taken on the identities of others so they can appear younger and more appealing to teams.
Of the top 40 16-year-old prospects identified by Major League Baseball in the...