Darvish won't pitch for Japan in WBC

The Texas Rangers are no doubt breathing a sigh of relief over this news.

Star right-hander Yu Darvish told reporters Friday that he won't be leaving the club to represent Japan at this spring's World Baseball Classic, according to Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

"It's too much of a risk (after Tommy John surgery)," Darvish said, according to Mike Leslie of WFAA.

Darvish added that pitching in "key games" during spring training, a time when he's just getting into shape for the regular season, isn't the best idea ahead of what is a critical season for both himself and the Rangers.

The 30-year-old, who will be a free agent at season's end, is about to embark on his first full season since undergoing Tommy John surgery in early 2015; once he returned to the mound in May of last year, he lasted just three starts before heading back to the disabled list with an arm issue. Darvish made a total of 17 regular-season starts for the Rangers in 2016, all but three of which came after the All-Star Game.

His decision will undoubtedly please the Rangers, who didn't want to see their ace fly to his home country to pitch in the tournament. In December, the Rangers reportedly had plans to submit forms officially objecting to several of their players - including Darvish - from participating in the WBC. The team could not stop any player from participating, as both the tournament and the players themselves have the final say.

Darvish, who left the Japanese leagues to join the Rangers in 2012, first emerged as a potential MLB star while representing Japan in the 2009 WBC.

He posted a 2.08 ERA and struck out 20 batters in 13 innings during that tournament, and came out of the bullpen to shut down the United States in the semifinal and Korea in the final. His memorable extra-inning performance versus Korea in the final included three consecutive strikeouts in the 10th inning to clinch Japan's second straight WBC crown.

Rangers players who will be participating in this year's WBC include third baseman Adrian Beltre (Dominican Republic), left-hander Martin Perez (Venezuela), and infielder Jurickson Profar (Netherlands). Outfielder Shin-soo Choo (Korea) is on Korea's preliminary roster, but has not confirmed if he'll play.