Yu Darvish Update: Debut Set For Texas Rangers All-Star
A Yu Darvish update from the Texas Rangers is good news for fans. The Rangers will start Darvish against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday, May 28, if his rehab continues to go well. A new report from MLB.com presents the great news for Rangers fans and fantasy baseball owners, as Darvish hasn’t appeared in a Major League Baseball game since the 2014 season.
This Yu Darvish update comes less than a day before he will really stretch out his arm in a start for Double-A Frisco. Darvish is slated to pitch six innings and about 90 pitches for the Rangers’ minor league affiliate on Sunday, May 22. A lot of eyes will be on the All-Star starting pitcher, because he could be a difference-maker as the Texas Rangers try to keep pace with the Seattle Mariners in the American League West.
In the updated MLB standings, the Rangers (24-19) trail the Mariners (25-17) by one-and-half games after both teams won on Saturday, May 21. The two teams have split six regular season games so far, but will meet quite a few additional times before the year is over. On Sunday, the Rangers wrap up a series against the Houston Astros, while the Mariners finish up a road trip against the Cincinnati Reds.
This latest Yu Darvish injury update echoes prior reports that he has looked good in his minor league rehab starts. Through four starts at Frisco and Round Rock, Darvish has a 1.29 ERA and a 0.786 WHIP. He has pitched just 14 innings, walking five and allowing just six hits. Darvish has also been hitting 97 mph routinely, showing that his velocity is back where the Rangers need it to be this season.
The start on Sunday will be the longest for Darvish this season, providing a good barometer for where he is at in getting his arm strength back. If he looks good on the mound, the expectation is that he will get cleared to be added to the 25-man roster again. That will require the team to make a coinciding move, with someone likely to be designated for assignment to get Darvish back on the 40-man roster.
From 2012-2014, Yu Darvish made 83 starts for the Texas Rangers, pitching well enough to earn a spot on the American League All-Star team each time. He has a combined record of 39-25, a 3.27 ERA, a 1.196 WHIP, 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings, and 545 1/3 innings of work. After missing the entire 2015 MLB season, it now seems to be only a matter of days until he will be on the mound for the Rangers again.
If everything stays on schedule, Darvish will make his debut in front of the home crowd on Saturday, May 28. Game time is 6:15 p.m. CT against the Pittsburgh Pirates and plenty of tickets are still available. If he has a clean start and responds well following the game, Darvish would then make his next start against the Seattle Mariners on Friday, June 3. The Rangers have an off day on Thursday, June 2, as well, giving Darvish an extra day of rest before this big series begins against the Mariners.
The three-game series between the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners from June 3-5 could decide which team resides in first place by the end of that weekend. It also begins a tough 20-game stretch where the Rangers will have no days off. A 10-day road trip in the middle of June includes a three-game series against the Mariners at Safeco Field as well (June 10-12). The Rangers need Yu Darvish to not only join the 25-man roster with a clean bill of health, but to pitch a lot of innings in June to help save the bullpen.
[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]
