Rangers' Darvish could be lost for season

Published Mar. 7, 2015 11:31 a.m. ET

foxsports

A relatively quiet start to spring training for the Texas Rangers has taken a severe turn for the worst.

Ace Yu Darvish, who came out of his Thursday start after just one inning, has a sprain in his right ulnar collateral ligament and could be looking at Tommy John surgery.

According to a statement released by the team, the club and Darvish will consult with other orthopedic surgeons over the next several days before making a final decision.

"I will be disappointed if I have to miss this season but I want to look at all the options including getting a second opinion, before I make a final decision," Darvish said in a statement. "In the meantime my heart is with my teammates and our focus remains on accomplishing our goals for the season."

The three-time All-Star was limited to 22 starts last season before being shut down because inflammation in his right elbow. He began throwing in February and had no issues and was stellar early in spring. He started the club's intrasquad game and pitched a perfect inning.

He was slated to pitch two innings or 35 pitches Thursday but said his triceps felt tight in the bullpen before the game. He pitched a scoreless inning, throwing 10 of his 12 pitches for strikes. Because of the tightness, he said he focused on his location and not velocity, which topped out at 90 mph.

After that start, Darvish said he wasn't worried about his arm. Team doctor Keith Meister saw him Friday and had the MRI done.

The Rangers lost more than 2,000 games to the disabled list last season and came into spring with extra starting pitching. The thought was the top four in the rotation would be Darvish, left-hander Derek Holland, right-hander Yovani Gallardo and right-hander Colby Lewis.

But Holland, who made just five starts last season, hasn't pitched in a game yet because of a sore left shoulder.

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