Yu Darvish out for the rest of the year due to stress reaction in elbow

Chris Cwik
·Staff writer

Yu Darvish’s first season with the Chicago Cubs is over. The team announced Darvish would miss the rest of the year after an MRI showed a stress reaction in his elbow and a triceps strain.

The 32-year-old Darvish will end the season with a 4.95 ERA in 40 innings.

Yu Darvish to miss rest of the season due to elbow issue

Darvish has been battling arm issues all year. He was initially shut down in May due to a triceps injury. He was finally able to get back on the mound Sunday, but had to leave his rehab start after one inning due to increased pain. That’s what prompted the team to perform Darvish’s most recent MRI.

Yu Darvish’s injury puts the Cubs in a tough spot

While the Cubs have succeeded without Darvish this season, losing him for the rest of the year hurts. If there’s one area where the Cubs have struggled in 2018, it’s been the team’s rotation. Jon Lester and Kyle Hendricks have both taken steps back, while Jose Quintana has battled command issues.

Getting Darvish back at full strength would have been a significant boost to the club in the postseason. Unless the team can pull off a waiver deal, they’ll have to roll with what they have now.

Fortunately for them, it looks like they may have fixed Cole Hamels. While that takes some pressure off the rotation, the Cubs could still use another dependable starter.

Cubs need Yu Darvish to be healthy long-term

The move ends a disappointing debut season for Darvish with the Cubs. Though it’s been a frustrating injury for both sides, it’s the right move to shut down Darvish for the rest of the year. The Cubs still have five years and $101 million on Darvish’s deal, so it’s beneficial to both sides that his long-term health isn’t compromised.

Yu Darvish will miss the rest of the 2018 season. (AP Photo)
Yu Darvish will miss the rest of the 2018 season. (AP Photo)

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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