MESA, Ariz. — Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish, who earlier this week talked about fears of the new coronavirus, took himself out of Thursday’s scheduled spring start because he felt ill and went to a local hospital for tests and treatment.
In tweets from the hospital Thursday morning, Darvish said in Japanese that he had been coughing since Wednesday and didn’t want to be in the clubhouse because he couldn’t be certain he didn’t have the coronavirus.
He then tweeted that he had been cleared – translated from Japanese to “No fever, no flu” – and later DM’d a beat writer, saying, in English, “I’m good.”
The team said he might be back on a mound by Friday, whether in a Cactus League game or simulated game. Darvish DM’d: “Depends on how I feel tonight and tomorrow.”
Those innings at this point in camp are important to assure he remains on pace to be available for a possible Opening Day start.
Darvish, a native of Japan, has expressed more concern and awareness of the spread of the COVID-19 strain of the coronavirus than most players in camp this spring.
In a conversation with the Sun-Times on Tuesday, Darvish said, “I’m really worried about it.”
Cubs management and medical staff on Thursday morning held a briefing with players on the coronavirus to go over what team president Theo Epstein characterized as “smart practices.”
Independent of that, a more typical, annual flu bug has been making its way through several camps this spring, including in Mesa, where manager David Ross, pitcher Jose Quintana and, also on Thursday, second baseman Jason Kipnis have all been sidelined.
熱もなく、インフルエンザも陰性でした
— ダルビッシュ有(Yu Darvish) (@faridyu) March 5, 2020
Ross missed the first three games of the Cactus League schedule and wound up in the hospital for a day receiving fluids through an IV.
The Cubs aren’t taking any chances, with any form of the flu that might affect players and staff.
昨日から咳をしていて、コロナの可能性がないとは言えない状況で勝手にクラブハウスに入るのが嫌だったので先に球団に話したら登板が無しになりました。。
— ダルビッシュ有(Yu Darvish) (@faridyu) March 5, 2020
今病院です。熱はないはずなんで何もないことを祈ります。
“I know how bad personally that gets,” Ross said. “We’re being extra cautious in that area, trying to do our best not to spread it around.
“With all this going around, we’re just going to take precautions.”
The season opens in Milwaukee three weeks from Thursday.
Ross was in wait-and-see mode on Darvish before
“We’ve got to listen to our bodies, especially this time of the year and make sure we don’t push somebody when they’re either dehydrated [or not] feeling well,” Ross said.
Ross, who hadn’t officially declared an Opening Day starter, said “I don’t know yet” how Darvish missing Thursday’s start might impact his plans for the opener.
“It just depends on how long all these guys miss and how things line up,” he said.
Darvish and Jon Lester each was scheduled for four more spring starts, with either lined up on a natural schedule that would work for the opener. If Darvish can’t pitch Friday, it might force pushing him back in the rotation when the season starts.
