Cubs News: Darvish undergoes elbow surgery, expected to be ready for 2019 spring training |
CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs starting pitcher
Yu Darvish went under the knife on Wednesday, as arthroscopic surgery was performed on his pitching elbow. Darvish, who suffered a slew of injuries throughout his ill-fated debut season with the Cubs, underwent the procedure to have debris removed from his elbow after getting diagnosed with a stress reaction last month.
Having already been ruled out for the remainder of the season following his August setback, Darvish now has an established timeline for his return from what will be a lengthy recovery. The right-hander should be back to full strength by the start of spring training. Darvish signed a lucrative six-year, $126 million contract this past offseason, but he was able to make just eight starts before injury after injury took its toll on him in the buildup to his final setback three weeks ago. Going 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA through his most recent start on May 20, Darvish did not exactly live up to the billing this year, but the serious elbow issues that plagued him might be the primary reason why. Hopefully, for Darvish's sake, Wednesday's medical procedure will pave the way for the four-time All-Star to return to top form next season.
