Report: Ex-Rangers star Yu Darvish headed to disabled list for Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Yu Darvish, acquired from the Texas Rangers minutes before the trade deadline July 31, is headed to the disabled list, CBSsports.com and the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
The Dodgers will place Darvish on the 10-day disabled list with nagging back tightness, manager Dave Roberts told reporters Saturday, according to CBSsports.com. Left-hander Edward Paredes has joined the team to fill the roster spot.
Roberts was hopeful that Darvish would miss only one start, on Tuesday, the LA Times reported.
In his much-anticipated debut at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, Darvish didn’t have the same stuff that saw him strike out 20 batters in his first two Dodgers starts.
He gave up three solo home runs among eight hits and left the game after six innings, trailing 3-2.
Darvish never had fewer than three strikeouts in 124 major league starts but had only two against the White Sox.
Darvish released a statement Saturday through the team’s media relations department on his condition.
“My initial reaction after the last outing was that I felt like I could make the next start,” Darvish said in the statement. “However, after talking to the team and consulting with the doctor, I understand their concern and I respect that opinion. I will make sure to get treatment and rest to get ready for next start.”
DodgerBlue.com said it was Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw, a former Dallas area high school star at Highland Park, who convinced Darvish to leave the game.
Darvish said the back problem had surfaced last week in his start at Arizona. Kershaw is already on the disabled list with a bad back.
“Between innings I talked to Kershaw and he asked me how do you feel,” Darvish said through a translator. “I told him I feel something in my back and he said we need you really bad in six weeks [when the playoffs begin].”
Ross Stripling (2-4), another Dodgers pitcher with a Dallas-Fort Worth connection, having gone to high school at Southlake Carroll, got the victory with one inning of relief.
The Dodgers, of course, are already looking ahead to the postseason in six weeks. Los Angeles was 86-34 for a .717 percentage after Friday’s victory, its fifth straight, and was 19 games ahead of the second-place Colorado Rockies in the AL West. The Dodgers were on pace to tie the major league record of 116 wins in a season.
This story was originally published August 19, 2017 at 6:01 PM with the headline "Report: Ex-Rangers star Yu Darvish headed to disabled list for Dodgers."