Rangers' Darvish won't start opener

Surprise, AZ (SportsNetwork.com) - Texas Rangers ace Yu Darvish will not start the season opener next Monday against Philadelphia because of a stiff neck.

Darvish was scratched from his spring training start last Friday and was still bothered on Monday while playing catch. He is expected to return to Dallas for further tests.

The 27-year-old right-hander was 13-9 with a 2.83 ERA in 32 starts last year. He was 16-9 with a 3.90 ERA in 29 starts during his first season with Texas in 2012.

[SportsNetwork.com]