Texas Rangers Push Back Rehab Start for Yu Darvish

By Joseph Shelley |

Feb 21, 2016; Surprise, AZ, USA; (Editors note: Darvish does drill with his non-dominant hand) Texas Rangers starting pitcher Yu Darvish (11) throws during a workout at Surprise Stadium Practice Fields. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

It is just a short delay, but the Texas Rangers will be pushing back Yu Darvish‘s rehab start to May 1.

After not feeling content with his last live bullpen, Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish will have his first rehab outing pushed back until May 1st. This is on the heels of a 45 pitch session where he felt that his curveball and changeup needed some work. According to his pitching coach, the changeup was sometimes short when he threw it and the curveball was not hitting its intended location.

However, Rangers catcher Chris Gimenez said that Darvish is getting close to where he was pre-surgery. “He is throwing tremendously… He is probably throwing around 92-94 and there is still more in the tank.”

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Darvish would be welcome to the Rangers rotation, as they are in deadlocked with Oakland at the top of the division, with Seattle only one game back of first. This decision to push back the first game action will not affect his overall return timetable, as it will just eliminate the first start and it will pick up right from the second.

Although the fans don’t like it, the Rangers are taking it slow with star pitcher Yu Darvish and they are absolutely correct in this measure. The man hasn’t pitched in over 20 months, so it is fine that they are giving him the extra month so that he can make sure he is 100% before throwing him out there. However, I do think that Darvish himself should speed it up a little.

According to his catcher, his fastball is already major league ready, and his complementary slider and cutter pitches are fine too. In both 2013 and 2014 he combined with these three pitches for 69% of his total pitches with the curve being used only 7% of the time both years, and the changeup being used a whopping .3% in 2013, his best season.

I understand that you want to make sure you’re at a peak ability when you return, but this does not mean that you can keep delaying until every pitch is exactly right. Right now his team needs him to step up and be the ace that he once was and he is letting them down thus far.

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If the Rangers truly have any aspirations of making the World Series, they will need a good 1-2 punch to complement their offense and Darvish, along with Cole Hamels, could deliver on that to them. This is why Darvish cannot delay his rehab any more and must just get on with what he needs to do before the Rangers are out of contention and his chance to be the hero in Arlington will be gone, replaced by the what-if’s of a lost season.

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