Texas Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish threw Monday for the first time since his Tommy John surgery in March. Darvish threw 25 pitches at 45 feet and plans to throw again Wednesday and Friday, according to The Associated Press.
Barring any setbacks, the 29-year-old right-hander should be ready to return at or near the start of the 2016 season. He will co-anchor a rotation that also will feature ace left-hander Cole Hamels, acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies prior to last month’s nonwaiver trade deadline.
In 2014, Darvish went 10-7 with a 3.06 ERA and 182 strikeouts in 22 starts (144 1/3 innings). In his three-season major-league career, the three-time All-Star is 39-25 with a 3.27 ERA and an 11.2 strikeouts-per-nine-innings ratio