Posted on June 14, 2016 by Bryan Zarpentine
Image via cbssports.com
It’s been a whirlwind week for Texas Rangers starter Yu Darvish since being forced to leave his start last early, but when all was said and done he has ended up on the DL. Darvish was bumped from his scheduled start in Oakland Monday and sent back to Texas to be examined by team physician Dr. Keith Meister. That exam prompted the Rangers to announce Monday night that Darvish was being placed on the 15-day DL.
During his start last Wednesday, Darvish complained of tightness in his neck that then moved to his shoulder. After being seen by the trainer mid-inning, he finished the inning but was then removed from the game. His throwing session over the weekend was cut short due to discomfort, which prompted the team to send him back to Texas to be examined by Dr. Meister.
An MRI was performed on both his neck and shoulder, but neither showed any structural damage. “There were no acute findings on either MRI, which is a good thing, meaning that there was nothing structural that was cause for concern,” said Texas GM Jon Daniels. “That said, Yu continues to have discomfort in that area, and so we’re going to place him on the DL to give him more time to recover.”
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Daniels went on to say that Darvish will receive treatment for the neck and shoulder discomfort and will resume throwing when he feels ready to do so. “I doubt he’s going to be throwing the next day or so, but there’s no doctor-prescribed timetable. He’ll go off of how he’s feeling,” Daniels explained, making Darvish’s stint on the DL somewhat open ended.
Darvish may be back on the DL, but the Rangers also got a key player back from the DL on Monday, activating outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who had been out since May 20. Choo was also on the DL earlier in the season and had played just six games for the Rangers all season before getting back into the lineup Monday night.
Obviously, the first-place Rangers have been doing just fine without Choo in the lineup for much of the year, but his return will be a welcome addition to the Texas lineup. Choo is also excited to re-start his season after a pair of leg injuries kept him out for so long. “I’m happy to be here and happy to be a part of the team,” Choo said. “Everybody is doing good here, and I really want to be a part of the team.”
After going 1 for 4 with his first home run of the season in Monday’s lost to Oakland, Choo pronounced himself to be in good health. “It’s all good; the rehab games were good,” he said, “I’m seeing the ball good, the leg feels good. I made a couple of tough plays in the outfield, no problem. The base running feels good.”
Choo is expected to be the every day right fielder with rookie sensation Nomar Mazara moving over to left field and Ryan Rua acting as the backup for both players. Choo hit in the leadoff spot on Monday night and could continue to see time in that spot in the order. Regardless of where he hits, the Rangers will be glad to have Choo back in what has been an injury-plagued outfield this season, and hope that he’ll be able to remain healthy from here on out.