Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington acknowledged Tuesday that right-hander Yu Darvish had physical issues late in the season, but would not reveal what they were.
Speaking to the press a day after the Rangers' 5-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL wild-card tiebreaker game, Washington said, "Yes, he had something, but he never said it was an issue."
"I don't think I can even get into that (the nature of the problem)," he said. "I'll let you talk to people above me and the medical staff, let them give you that."
Darvish, who finished his second season in the majors with a 13-9 mark, had 277 strikeouts for the most in the majors and won his first big league strikeout title.
He failed to finish the sixth inning in each of his last three starts, the first time that has happened in two seasons with the Rangers.
Commenting on Darvish's season, Washington said, "It was an amazing statistical year. Darvish is a tremendous pitcher and this was a learning experience for him again.
"I certainly expect for him going into next year to take it to another level as far as his development and progress goes here in the United States."