It appears the Texas Rangers are going to be without their ace most of the season, at least. Yu Darvish, who has been an American League All-Star each of his first three seasons in the MLB, is said to have a sprained UCL ligament in his pitching elbow, one which may require Tommy John surgery.
Of course, Tommy John would rule him out for the rest of the year. The other option would be to rest the sprain, which isn’t guaranteed to fix it, and would take at least 4 months. Ouch.
Here are some tweets detailing the 28-year old’s injury and the reaction from the team as it were unfolding today.
Darvish has sprain of UCL in elbow. TJ is a possibility. To have more consultation
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) March 7, 2015
GM Jon Daniels: "Not the news we wanted." Says if Darvish rests, it'd be 4 months at least.
— Stefan Stevenson (@StevensonFWST) March 7, 2015
#Rangers GM Jon Daniels on #YuDarvish: "What we’re seeing is an extension, effectively, of what he dealt with last summer.”
— Stefan Stevenson (@StevensonFWST) March 7, 2015
Darvish statement: "I will be disappointed if I have to miss the season but want to look at all options, including getting a second opinion"
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) March 7, 2015
Darvish obviously doesn’t want to give up hopes of a return this season, but all indications are now that this will rule him out for the year.
Bottom line: Darvish almost certainly will have season-ending surgery. All other options are unrealistic.
— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) March 7, 2015
As to who can potentially fill the void at the top of the rotation remains to be seen, but a career 3.27 era is tough to replace. One reporter speculated that former Red Sox prospect could see a crack at big league time because of it:
One name to remember as Rangers try to replace Darvish: Anthony Ranaudo. Came to TEX from BOS for Robbie Ross and has looked good so far.
— Tyler Kepner (@TylerKepner) March 7, 2015
And, of course, there has been speculation that this may lead the Rangers into trade talks with the Phillies. Negotiating out of desperation, however, is normally not advised.
Regardless, keep it locked here for updates as this story continues to develop.
H/T Bleacher