SURPRISE, Ariz. - Rangers left-hander Yohander Mendez will miss the first half of the season with an elbow injury but will not need Tommy John surgery, club officials said Monday.
Mendez, who left Sunday's start in the third inning after a sharp drop in velocity, has a Grade 1 strain of the ulnar collateral ligament an MRI revealed. He will be given six weeks of rest and then re-start a throwing program. He will then need to have his arm built back up in similar form to a full spring training, which would likely take another six weeks.