Yu Darvish said he didn't need any more opinions once the first doctor recommended season-ending surgery on the ailing right elbow of the Texas Rangers ace.
The Japanese right-hander waited for two more reports anyway before the announcement that Dr. James Andrews will perform elbow ligament-replacement surgery on Tuesday in Gulf Breeze, Florida.
Andrews was the last of three doctors to review images of the 28-year-old's elbow. Tommy John surgery likely will sideline Darvish until early 2016.
"I feel nothing but positive," Darvish said Friday through an interpreter. "Obviously, this is a bump in the road for me and my team."
An MRI last week revealed partially torn ligaments and inflammation after Darvish felt tightness in his triceps while warming up for his spring training debut. He threw 10 of 12 pitches for strikes in his only inning before telling anyone about the discomfort.
An All-Star in each of his three seasons since arriving from Japan, Darvish started last season on the disabled list after experiencing neck stiffness in spring training. He missed only one start then, and was 10-7 with a 3.06 ERA in 22 starts and made his final appearance on Aug. 9 because of elbow inflammation.
The elbow checked out fine during the offseason.
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"I didn't think this was going to happen," said Darvish, who will return with two years left on a six-year deal worth $56 million, a deal signed after the Rangers agreed to pay almost $52 million for his rights. "During that time, I thought it was nothing more than elbow inflammation."
Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said Darvish could be back in the rotation by May 2016.
"Every rehab is a little different, so I'm not going to put a stopwatch on it," Daniels said. "Our goal is to get him back once with no setbacks."
Darvish is 39-25 in 83 starts for the Rangers, with 680 strikeouts in 545 1-3 innings. He led the majors with 277 strikeouts in 2013.
