Mo Vaughn admits using human growth hormone

Field Level Media|published: 03/10/2025, 2:33pm EDT

Apr 15, 2022; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Former Boston Red Sox player Mo Vaughn (42) waves to the crowd at Fenway Park. Every player is wearing number 42 in honor of Jackie Robinson. Mandatory Credit: Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Former American League MVP Mo Vaughn admitted using human growth hormone later in his career.

The three-time All-Star told The Athletic he had HGH injected into his troublesome knee in order to continue playing.

"I was trying to do everything I could," Vaughn said. "I knew I had a bad, degenerative knee. I was shooting HGH in my knee. Whatever I could do to help the process."

Vaughn, now 56, rose to stardom as a slugging first baseman with the Boston Red Sox from 1991-98. He made three All-Star teams and was named the 1995 AL MVP after batting .300 with 39 homers and 126 RBIs.

Vaughn spent two seasons with the Anaheim Angels from 1999-2000 before missing the 2001 season with a ruptured biceps tendon. He finished out his career with a two-year stint with the New York Mets from 2002-03.

Major League Baseball did not ban HGH until 2005. In 2007, Vaughn was named in the Mitchell report that looked into the use of performance-enhancing drugs and steroids in baseball.

Vaughn batted .293 with 328 home runs and 1,064 RBIs in 1,512 career games. He appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2009 but received only six votes, or just 1.1 percent.

--Field Level Media