Texas Rangers all aces with Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels set to pitch Sunday

Sunday is turning into a momentous occasion for the Rangers.

Yu Darvish begins his rehab assignment with a start at Double A Frisco and Cole Hamels returns to the mound after missing his last start for the Rangers.

Darvish will only throw two innings or 30 pitches. It will be his first game since March 5, 2015. That was the spring training start that was cut short after 12 pitches when Darvish felt tightness in his throwing arm. Nearly two weeks later he had Tommy John surgery.

“Felt free and easy, nothing holding me back,” Hamels said. The missed start was mainly precautionary to prevent anything more serious. “If it was later, I don’t think we would have taken this sort of precaution. I probably would just bite the bullet and fight through it.”

Darvish’s return to the rotation could be May 21 or May 27, depending on the number of rehab starts he makes and how he’s progressing. Typically, Darvish’s pitch counts and outings would increase from two innings (30 pitches) to three and 45, four and 60, five and 75, and six and 90 before he’s ready to return.

Pitching coach Doug Brocail said last week that he’d be fine if Darvish’s six-inning, 90-pitch outing came in the big leagues. Ultimately, however, Darvish will make the call and let the club know when he’s ready to return to the rotation.

Manager Jeff Banister compared the two-inning stint Sunday to a typical first spring training start.

“You could be aggressive and go more but I’m not so sure that’s the prudent thing to do,” he said. “He knows himself as well as anybody. We’re going to let this process play itself out. Let him get to the amount of pitches, the amount of ups, and the amount of innings it takes to be ready for a major league game.”

Darvish declined to talk to the media the past two days after throwing his fourth live bullpen session Tuesday afternoon. Banister said Darvish remains on schedule for a mid-May to early June return and reminded the media that it has still been less than 14 months since Darvish’s surgery.

“This is about having that best possible right-handed beast we possibly can out on the mound for us,” Banister said. “I want the best possible Yu we can out there … healthy.”

Chirinos’ checkup

Robinson Chirinos will get an X-ray on his broken right forearm Tuesday. Chirinos has been catching off the machine in the indoor cage to keep his legs and glove sharp, Banister said.

Briefly

▪ Former 2010 second-round pick and right-handed pitcher Cody Buckel was released Wednesday from Double A Frisco. Buckel was invited to major league camp in 2013 but struggled with his command. Right-hander David Perez (2-0, 0.75 ERA) was promoted from High A High Desert to Frisco.

▪ The Rangers’ Triple Play Game Show Spectacular is scheduled for May 25 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas. Proceeds from the event, which includes live and silent auctions and attendance by the entire team, will go toward building and funding the Texas Rangers Major League Baseball Youth Academy at Mercy Street project in west Dallas. To reserve tables or individual tickets, contact the foundation at 817-273-5030 or go to www.texasrangers.com/tripleplay.

This story was originally published April 27, 2016 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Texas Rangers all aces with Yu Darvish and Cole Hamels set to pitch Sunday."