Rangers' Yu Darvish sprained UCL in elbow, may need Tommy John surgery

Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish sprained the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow and the pitcher may need Tommy John surgery.

The MRI on Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish's right triceps showed a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow, the team announced Saturday.

Team physician Dr. Keith Meister and the Rangers have discussed Tommy John surgery, according the team. In the release, Darvish said he is looking into other options as well.

Darvish: "I will be disappointed if I have to miss the season but want to look at all options, including getting a second opinion..."

— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) March 7, 2015

Rangers general manager Jon Daniels told reporters Saturday that Darvish will miss at least four months if he opts to not have the surgery.

Darvish threw only 12 pitches in his spring training debut against the Kansas City Royals before leaving after one inning with triceps tightness. After the game, Darvish said the injury wasn't serious after his arm failed to loosen up.

The 28-year-old, three-time All Star went 10-7 with a 3.06 ERA and 182 strikeouts last season for the Rangers, missing the last seven weeks of last season with mild inflammation in his right elbow.

- Sarah Barshop