Rangers in tough position if Yu Darvish needs Tommy John surgery

The Texas Rangers received bad news on the condition of ace Yu Darvish. After leaving his first spring start on Thursday with tightness in his right arm, Darvish was examined and diagnosed with a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. Dreaded words for a pitcher, because the next step is almost always a decision between Tommy John surgery or attempting to rest and rehab with the understanding that Tommy John surgery could still be needed down the road. 

A process that in and of itself can be daunting and lengthy. 

Darvish, 28, was limited to 22 starts last season before being shut down because of inflammation in his right elbow. He reported no issues early in spring training, even appearing in the Rangers' intrasquad game, where he pitched a perfect inning.

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Understandably, Darvish will seek further consultation and at least one more opinion before making his final decision, but it always feels like the writing is on the wall when this diagnosis comes in. If Darvish opts for Tommy John surgery, he would be sidelined for the entire 2015 season. However, the sooner he gets it, the better chance he'd have to make it back for opening day 2016. 

Obviously, that's not where Darvish's focus is right now, but it's probably weighing heavily on the mind of Rangers officials. 

This pretty much sets up as a worst-case scenario for the Rangers. Especially on the heels of a 2014 that fell apart due to a wide assortment of injuries. In total, Texas lost more than 2,000 games to the disabled list last season. After losing infielder Jurickson Profar to a potentially season-ending shoulder injury in February, the 2015 season is setting up to be more of the same. 

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The Rangers did add depth to their rotation by acquiring Yovani Gallardo from the Millwaukee Brewers in January. They're also expecting a full season from Derek Holland, but losing Darvish, their undisputed ace, will likely prove too much to overcome even if everything else goes perfectly. There's just no margin for error in an AL West that includes the Oakland A's, Los Angeles Angels and Seattle Mariners, and the Rangers were already several lengths behind before Saturday.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813