Yu Darvish was told he should have Tommy John surgery by Rangers team doctor Dr. Keith Meister, and did his due diligence by going to New York for a second opinion with the Mets' team doctor, a renowned Tommy John surgeon.
The team was set to make its decision public on Wednesday after the Tuesday meeting with Dr. David Altcheck, but now have said the decision will not be finalized until late this week. Rangers GM Jon Daniels, however, confirmed Altcheck's recommendation was the same as Meister's and it's believed Darvish will have the surgery to repair the UCL sprain early next week.
Not sure what's making the Rangers delay the inevitable, as it's been confirmed two doctors have recommended Tommy John surgery for the Rangers ace, but if you're a Rangers fan don't get your hopes up thinking it's good news for a coming miracle or something. In fact, the Rangers just announced Darvish will actually get a third opinion from noted surgeon Dr. James Andrews, maybe the biggest of big in terms of Tommy John experts. But Daniels said he sees no problem with seeking yet another opinion on his ace.
"I think it's more of, 'Why not?'" Daniels said on the Rangers' official site when asked why the team is getting a third opinion. "It's a big decision for [Darvish] and the organization. Nothing's lost; we're talking about three of the best surgeons [and] doctors in the world."
If the surgery happens (it will), Darvish will miss the entire 2015 season with hopes of possibly returning by May of 2016, with an early summer return more likely. It's obviously a huge blow to the Rangers' rotation, which will now be fronted by Derek Holland.
