Yu Darvish’s rough year with Cubs ends in injury
By Cody Rivera
Elbow and triceps injuries have put an end to the 2018 season for Yu Darvish, concluding a wildly disappointing debut for the Chicago Cubs.
When the news broke that Japanese pitching sensation Yu Darvish would be bringing his talents to the north side of Chicago, this wasn’t likely how Cubs fans imagined his first season would turn out.
It’s been a year full of injuries for Darvish, and after further complications, the Cubs had no choice but to shut him down for the year. He recently underwent an MRI, which revealed that he had a stress reaction in his right elbow and a triceps strain.
In a rehab start for Class A South Bend on Sunday, Darvish lasted just one inning. After striking out the final batter he faced, Darvish left the field while shaking his arm, according to ESPN.com. When warming up for the second, Darvish winced in pain on all six of his warmup pitches. That would be all for the 32-year-old right hander.
“During warm-ups the next inning, I felt something in there,” Darvish said. “Last time [in June] I did feel the same thing, [but] I continued to throw. This time I stopped.”
After undergoing further tests, the 2018 season officially came to a close for Darvish. He made just eight starts for the Cubs, going just 1-3 with an ERA of 4.95. No doubt, it’s been a disappointing season for Darvish in the first year of his big six-year contract with Chicago – a lost season that he’ll never get back.
Next. Daniel Murphy traded to Chicago Cubs. dark
It makes it even tougher with the Cubs trying to fend off both the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central race. And with the playoffs a little over a month away, the Cubs are losing a big arm in their rotation. But Darvish did sign a six-year contract back in February, so at least he’ll have plenty of future seasons to make up for it.