Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish has been scratched as the Rangers Opening Day starter due to neck stiffness. (Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports)
As if the Texas Rangers can endure any more setbacks this spring, there’s this tweet concerning Yu Darvish…
Yu Darvish will not start Opening Day. He's flying back to Texas for further exam.
— Drew Davison (@drewdavison) March 25, 2014
As MLB.com’s T.R. Sullivan reports, Darvish has been dealing with a stiff neck and the organization is worried there could be another issue at hand. Sullivan also opines that Martin Perez would be a “strong contender” to take the ball for the Rangers opener against the Philadelphia Phillies.
Within the past 48 hours, the Rangers have received harsh news regarding some of its player.
The day before yesterday, it was announced that Jurickson Profar would miss about 10-12 weeks due to a torn muscle in his right shoulder. Yesterday, the club was informed that catcher Geovany Soto would miss 10-12 weeks as well due to a torn meniscus. Reserve outfielder Engel Beltre suffered a fractured tibia and is out indefinitely. And now, the news surrounding Darvish.
The starting rotation already looked to be on the thin side as Derek Holland and Matt Harrison were not expected to be ready for the season. Holland is on the mend after undergoing knee surgery and is not expected back until mid-season. Harrison is likely to return much sooner, possibly only missing one start, as he deal with back stiffness.