Yu Darvish Out for Season After Elbow Injury Diagnosed as Stress Reaction

Yu Darvish's frustrating 2018 has come to an abrupt end due to an elbow injury. 

Per The Athletic's Sahadev Sharma, an MRI showed Darvish has a stress reaction in his right elbow and a triceps strain. He is going to be shut down for six weeks and won't pitch again this season. 

This comes after Darvish left a rehab start with Low-A South Bend on Sunday after one inning because of discomfort in his pitching arm.

The Cubs signed the 31-year-old to a six-year contract in the offseason, hoping he would play a big role in their quest to get back to the World Series after winning a title in 2016.

Instead, the four-time All-Star stumbled out of the gate with a 4.95 ERA in eight starts. He's also had two stints on the disabled list in 2018. The first came in early May due to a virus and again on May 27 with tendinitis in his right triceps. 

Because of Darvish's extended absence already this season, Cubs manager Joe Maddon won't have an issue forming a rotation without the right-hander. They acquired Cole Hamels from the Texas Rangers on July 27 to add depth to a group that includes Jose Quintana, Jon Lester, Kyle Hendricks and Tyler Chatwood.