Yu Darvish To Undergo Tommy John Surgery Tuesday
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SURPRISE (CBSDFW.COM) -- Three doctors, three separate opinions. But they've all come back the same.
Rangers ace Yu Darvish will undergo Tommy John surgery on Tuesday to repair a torn ligament in his right elbow.
Season-ending surgery has been the likely scenario all along -- and the recommendation of two doctors -- but the club sought out the opinion of renown specialist Dr. James Andrews.
The club confirmed the diagnosis on Friday. Dr. Andrews will conduct the surgery in Pensacola, Florida.
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After surgery, Darvish will return to Surprise to begin his rehab program. He is expected to return to Arlington for rehab once the regular season begins.
"What was most important to us is that he would rehab in Texas and be around the team...be a part of the team," said General Manager Jon Daniels.
Daniels said he hopes the 28-year-old can return to game action by May 2016.
"I'm very optimistic," said Darvish. "I have no worries whatsoever. I'm going to take this time to learn a lot."
In his spring training debut, Darvish left the game after one inning and 12 pitches with tightness in his right triceps. An MRI revealed partially torn ligaments and inflammation in the elbow.
The right-hander missed the final seven weeks of the 2014 season with right elbow inflammation. Team doctors do not believe the injury is related.
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Darvish is under contract through 2017, but can opt out of the final year of his contract should he win the Cy Young in 2016.
In three seasons with Texas, Darvish has compiled a record of 39-25 with a 3.27 ERA. The three-time All Star finished second in Cy Young voting to the Detroit Tigers' Max Scherzer in 2013.
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