Darvish has UCL sprain; Tommy John discussed

Yu Darvish: ‘I will be disappointed if I have to miss the season.’ (USATSI)

The ulnar collateral ligament demon struck again in major-league baseball, this time with Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish, who is considering having Tommy John elbow surgery as a result. Darvish underwent an MRI on Friday for a sore triceps muscle, and the club announced Saturday that the scan revealed a sprain of his UCL. That’s a nicer way of saying Darvish has a partial ligament tear. Surgery isn’t assured — some pitchers try rest and physical therapy — but it’s likely.

Thanks to research by Joe Roegele (@MLBPlayerAnalys), we know that a total of 97 players — 33 major-leaguers — would have had Tommy John surgery since Jan. 1, 2014. All but nine are pitchers, and several of them — Matt Harvey, Jose Fernandez and probably Darvish — are among the best at what they do. Going back farther: 247 players since the start of 2012, 361 since 2010, and 614 since 2005 have had Tommy John.

By comparison, a total of 79 players underwent Tommy John surgery from 1974-1995.

Losing Darvish — likely for the entire 2015 season — is much more than collateral damage to the Rangers. He has been one of the best pitchers in the majors since coming over from Japan before the 2012 season. Darvish led the American League in strikeouts and fewest hits per inning in 2013, when he finished second in Cy Young voting.

The Rangers probably were a long shot to contend in 2015, but losing Darvish for the season could send them back into last place in the AL West.

Via MLB.com, here’s what Darvish is thinking:

Darvish, who missed the final seven weeks last season due to mild inflammation in his right elbow, exited his spring debut on Thursday after just one inning.

“I will be disappointed if I have to miss the season, but I want to look at all 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 Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka, for example, opted for rest and rehab after visiting, reportedly, six doctors regarding his torn UCL last summer. Most of the time, the player gets surgery.

Though Dr. James Andrews is expected to be consulted, Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister has performed six Tommy John surgeries. He’s set to do Joel Hanrahan’s later this month.

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