WWW- Major League Baseball officials tried backing off a Daily News story yesterday that said MLB security was looking into Barry Bonds’ troubles, but in several interviews with The News – before and after yesterday’s story was published – a senior baseball official said there indeed is such a probe.

“They’ve been digging around on him but it’s hard to get anywhere because of the criminal investigation,” the source said.

MLB senior vice president Rob Manfred and spokesman Rich Levin said yesterday that they are “monitoring” Bonds’ legal troubles, along with all the athletes connected to the BALCO steroid-trafficking case in northern California.

“With respect to the BALCO investigation, we are actively involved in efforts to be knowledgeable about the facts developed by the government as they relate to major league players,” Manfred said.

Their issue, a top MLB source said, is the word “investigation.”

“We don’t want it to look like this is some Pete Rose thing,” the source said. “I wouldn’t say it’s an investigation with a capital ‘I.'”

MLB officials have, however, sought information about the BALCO trial from contacts within the U.S. Department of Justice and other law enforcement agencies, and officials did their own checking into the background of surgeon Albert Ting, who has operated on Bonds’ knee three times but reportedly has been put on probation twice for “unprofessional conduct.” Ting has been accused of improperly providing prescriptions to professional atheltes. Bonds also recently resumed workouts with lifelong friend Greg Anderson, who is one of the four men under indictment in the BALCO case. MLB officials said they were “shocked” that Bonds would be so “reckless.”

Recently, the federal probe has expanded to include allegations that Bonds failed to pay taxes on money from memorabilia sales, charges made by Kimberly Bell, who claims to be Bonds’ longtime mistress. MLB and San Francisco Giants officials have grown concerned that the allegations against Bonds could lead to charges against the slugger, and sources said commissioner Bud Selig does not want to be surprised by any more revelations about steroid use by Bonds or anyone else.

“Of course we’re looking into it,” a source said.

A high-ranking source interviewed Friday told The News that Bonds never had asked baseball for a therapeutic use exemption, or “TUE,” meaning he never tried to tell officials that he had a legitimate use for some banned substances. Bonds has never been identified as having tested positive for steroids, but admitted using them to the BALCO grand jury, claiming he didn’t know what he was taking.

When asked what it meant that Bonds never had asked for a TUE, the official said: “That whatever he was taking was very sophisticated.”

Bell has claimed that Bonds was well aware he was taking illegal steroids, which legal experts have said could expose him to perjury charges.