Texas Rangers: Yu Darvish to start this weekend
Texas Rangers starter Yu Darvish is set to return from the disabled list on Saturday and will be making a start against the Chicago Cubs in a series battle between two of the best teams in baseball.
There’s some good news for the Texas Rangers and their fans: Yu Darvish is set to return this weekend against the Chicago Cubs. The right-hander was placed on the DL June 9 with shoulder discomfort.
Darvish threw a bullpen session on Wednesday and he’s expected to make his start on Saturday against Jason Hammel. So far in 2016, Darvish has made only three starts (2-0, 2.87 ERA, 2.73 FIP) for the Rangers.
Darvish missed the entire 2015 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and finally made his season debut on May 28 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He threw five innings and gave up one run on three hits while striking out seven batters and picked up the win.
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Things were looking good for the right-hander until his start against the Houston Astros on June 8. He left that game after five innings and told reporters afterwards that tightness in his neck had caused tightness in his right shoulder. In that game, his numbers were similar to the Pittsburgh start—three hits, one run and seven strikeouts, but he also surrendered four walks.
After cutting short a bullpen session a few days later because the symptoms he was experiencing on June 8 hadn’t subsided, he was retroactively placed on the 15-day DL. Darvish had an MRI that showed no structural damage, and he made two rehab starts with the Double-A Frisco Roughriders on July 4 and July 10.
Darvish’s return is great news for the Rangers’ pitching staff which has suffered a few blows this season. Both Derek Holland and Colby Lewis were also lost to injuries and the team is still waiting on them to come back.
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Despite their staff being decimated by the injury bug and despite the fact that they’ve stumbled a bit in June and early July, the Texas Rangers still have the best record in the American League (54-36) and lead the American League West division by 5 1/2 games over Houston.