Darvish opens up about injury criticism: 'It really took a toll on me emotionally'

Yu Darvish opened up about the criticisms he faced from Chicago Cubs fans regarding his debilitating arm injury in an emotional blog post on Wednesday.

"Meanwhile, the atmosphere around me had become, 'is he faking an injury?' 'Is it a mental problem?'" Darvish posted on his personal blog, translated by Twitter user @mikaotx. "Those words made it extremely difficult for me to stop and rest, and it really took a toll on me emotionally."

Darvish will officially sit the remainder of the 2018 season out after it was discovered the right-hander had suffered a stress reaction in his throwing elbow after originally being misdiagnosed with triceps tightness. The offseason recruit continued to rehab through the stress reaction, which team doctors now believe ailed Darvish since May.

The blog post, which discusses the "very gloomy days" and the abnormal pain Darvish felt, also describes the 32-year-old's regret for not pushing for an MRI sooner.

After signing a six-year, $126-million deal this winter with the Cubs, Darvish pitched 40 innings with the club in 2018, posting a 4.95 ERA and 4.85 FIP over eight starts.