Japanese pitching ace Yu Darvish will have "Tommy John" ligament replacement surgery on his right elbow and will miss the 2015 Major League Baseball season, the Texas Rangers said on Friday.
Darvish will have the operation in Florida on Tuesday, Rangers spokesman John Blake said.
Darvish had a MRI exam last Friday, a day after he departed his pre-season debut after just one inning because of muscle tightness.
He missed the final six weeks of last season with inflammation in the elbow, but he and the Texas team had hoped he could avoid surgery.
In this surgery, a ligament from another area of the body will be transplanted to his arm. Although the procedure will sideline the 28-year-old right-hander for all of 2015, having it now should enable him to be ready for the start of the 2016 campaign.
In comments posted on the team's website, Darvish said doctors told him the ligament was not torn but thinned and in a dangerous situation.
He sought opinions from three doctors, and all three recommended surgery.
"I have heard about the hardships of the rehab, but I'm optimistic," Darvish said. "I have no worries. I am going to take the time to learn a lot. I feel there are a lot of things I can do to make me better.
"Obviously, this is a bump in the road for my career and my team, but there are a lot of positives that could come out of this."
Share
