Rangers have Yu Darvish tracking toward late-May return

Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish is scheduled to throw live batting practice Wednesday and could be only two weeks away from beginning a rehab assignment that would serve as the final step in his comeback from Tommy John surgery.

The right-hander threw a 50-pitch bullpen session Saturday in Arlington, building upon a Tuesday session that pitching coach Doug Brocail is still marveling over. Brocail said that Darvish will throw three live BPs with three days of rest between each one.

That would put him on track to begin a rehab assignment April 25, almost certainly at a home game for Double A Frisco. It would be the first of six rehab starts, and Darvish would likely begin by throwing three innings.

He tentatively could return the week of May 23 at home against the Los Angeles Angels.

“I feel like we should keep him on a pace that keeps him moving forward,” Brocail said Saturday. “He’s out of the stable. You’ve got to let him run a bit.”

Brocail cautioned that Darvish’s schedule is subject to change depending on how his arm recovers between starts. So far, though, all signs point to Darvish getting closer to pitching in a game.

His live BP sessions will likely simulate three 15-pitch innings, Brocail said. Darvish’s first two rehab starts would be three innings apiece, then one at four innings, two at five and the finale at six.

Darvish was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament after his first spring start in 2015, and had Tommy John surgery March 17.

Choo strains calf

Right fielder Shin-Soo Choo was a late scratch from the Rangers’ lineup Saturday night after he strained his right calf while doing some running in the outfield during batting practice.

The Rangers had no word on the severity of the injury, but they were concerned that it might result in a stint on the disabled list for the No. 2 hitter. Choo was healthy last season but played much of 2014 with a sprained left ankle and a bone spur in his left elbow.

Both injuries required surgery.

Choo blossomed into their best hitter after the All-Star break last season, and in September he batted .404 with a .515 on-base percentage. He entered Saturday with a three-game hitting streak and had reached base in all five games.

Choo had already taken four walks, including one on Opening Day with the bases loaded.

Holaday to start

Bryan Holaday will be the Rangers’ catcher Sunday in the series finale against the Angels and will likely get one start in the three-game series at Seattle, manager Jeff Banister said.

Holaday impressed the Rangers in his debut Wednesday, catching two Seattle runners attempting to steal. He said that he has stayed busy trying to build a working relationship with the pitching staff that was completely new to him after a March 29 trade from Detroit.

“I’m definitely way more comfortable with the staff,” Holaday said. “I’ve caught everybody a couple times now in bullpens, so we’re definitely more comfortable with how they like to go about their business.”

The former TCU and Dallas W.T. White High star has had a heavy workload, but he said that the pitchers have made the transition easier on him.

“These guys are pretty easy to get along with, and they’re all good guys,” Holaday said. “So it’s been a pretty smooth process.”

This story was originally published April 9, 2016 at 10:06 PM with the headline "Rangers have Yu Darvish tracking toward late-May return."