Baseball to Conduct In-Season Blood Testing for Human Growth Hormone

Major League Baseball and its players union announced they have reached an agreement to conduct in-season blood testing of players for human growth hormone. Players also will be tested for synthetic testosterone, which is increasingly popular because it washes out of the body fairly quickly after being used.

The announcement comes soon after members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America voted against inducting Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens into the Baseball Hall of Fame, because of their links to steroids, The New York Times reports.

Major League Baseball was the first major sport in the United States to agree to human growth hormone testing. It reached an agreement with its union in November 2011 to test for the substance, but only in spring training and the off-season. The new agreement expands the testing into the baseball season.

Human growth hormone can help players build muscle mass, and to recover quickly from extended physical activity. It cannot be used legally without a prescription.