September 21, 2018
Chicago Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish, who has not pitched since May due to injuries, is now out until next season, the Cubs announced.
An MRI revealed a stress reaction on his right pitching elbow as well as a triceps strain, and he will not pitch again this year.
“A stress reaction is a precursor to a stress fracture,” Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said July 21. “There is no fracture. A stress reaction or bone bruise requires six weeks of down time and rest. Unfortunately, this will end Yu’s season for 2018.
“We do believe that the stress reaction is what has been bugging him all the way back to the end of May, and looking back, is consistent with the symptoms and the pain he’s been experiencing as he ramps up and tries to come back on two occasions now.”
Darvish, 32, whom the Cubs signed to a six-year, $126 million contract in February, has not started since May 20 and has only appeared in eight games this 162-game season. with an unimpressive one win and three losses to his record.
Three days before the MRI sidelined him, Darvish lasted one inning in a rehab start for the South Bend, Indiana, club, a Cubs minor league team, then departed because of soreness in his right elbow.
“We’re really disappointed that he’s hurt, but at least now we understand what he’s been dealing with,” Epstein said. “At least we have some clarity.”
Darvish struggled to a miserable 4.95 earned run average (ERA) this season, versus a career ERA of 3.49. This year also saw him with a career-high 4.7 walks per nine innings rate over the eight starts he made with Chicago.
Darvish departs with the Cubs holding a three-game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central Division.
“He’s tried to push through a lot of things, and obviously there’s something there that we have to respect,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. “All year I’ve never doubted that he’s hurting, but I guess now we have more definitive measures based on the test that was utilized.
“Hopefully it turns out well and we get him back next year from Day 1 and take it from there. It’s been a very difficult year for him, obviously, with the physical and maybe some of the emotional and mental pain. We’re on his side. We want to get him well.”
Darvish missed the entire 2015 season after he had elbow surgery while signed with the Texas Rangers.
