Yu Darvish Returning From Tommy John Surgery; Rangers To Monitor Him Closely

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Texas Rangers’ starting pitcher Yu Darvish is set to make his 2016 debut on Saturday after missing all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Darvish’s timing is impeccable; the Rangers trail the Seattle Mariners by just one-and-a-half games in the American League West. But even though the 29-year-old is eager to return to the major leagues, the Rangers will not rush the right-hander: he will not be allowed to throw more than 85-90 pitches on Saturday.

“That would be a good pitch count,” pitching coach Doug Brocail told MLB.com. “It all depends on how he looks during the game and how many pitches he has. We’re not going to have him go out there and throw 150 pitches. Hopefully he gets out there and uses his fastball to get early outs and uses his pitches wisely and keeps us in the game.”

HOUSTON, TX – AUGUST 09: Yu Darvish #11 of the Texas Rangers throws in the first inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on August 9, 2014 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

 

Signed to a six-year, $56 million contract (in addition to the team’s winning $51.7 million posting bid) in January 2012, the Japanese star quickly emerged as the team’s ace.

In his brief major-league career, Darvish has already notched 200-strikeouts twice (221 and 227 strikeouts in ’12 and 2013, respectively) and has been worth a cumulative 12.8 WAR from ’12 to 2014—more than Zack Greinke, Jordan Zimmermann and Stephen Strasburg over the span. He also has posted a combined 3.27 ERA (versus a 3.17 FIP) and 3.11 strikeouts-to-walks ratio, and is a three-time All-Star.

Darvish will re-join a Rangers’ rotation of Cole Hamels, Colby Lewis, Derek Holland and Martin Perez. Perez—who is good friends with Darvish, as noted in a recent ESPNfeature—himself only just returned from Tommy John surgery. And with A.J. Griffin on the disabled list with shoulder stiffness, Darvish will assume his rotation spot.