Baseball Notes: Rangers' Darvish has arm surgery

Yu Darvish had season-ending elbow surgery Tuesday, as the torn ligament from the Texas Rangers ace's right arm was replaced with a tendon from his forearm.

The Rangers said specialist James Andrews that reported elbow ligament replacement surgery went as expected, with no complications.

Andrews performed the surgery in Gulf Breeze, Fla., where Darvish was to have a follow-up exam Wednesday. He will rejoin the Rangers in Arizona within a few days, and is expected to remain in Texas for rehab during the regular season.

The pitcher likely will be sidelined until early 2016. His right arm will be in a sling for about 7-10 days and then he will have a brace on his elbow.

Andrews was the last of three doctors to review images of the 28-year-old pitcher's elbow.

The head of the Major League Baseball Players Association says he wants Pete Rose to be reinstated.

Former all-star first baseman Tony Clark made the remarks to reporters at spring training, a day after new commissioner Rob Manfred said he had received an application from Rose.

Baseball's career hits leader agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 following an investigation that concluded he bet on the Cincinnati Reds to win while managing the team.

"I would love to see Pete reinstated," Clark said.

Rose applied for reinstatement in September 1997 and met in November 2002 with Commissioner Bud Selig, who never ruled on the application. Selig was succeeded by Manfred in January. Now Rose is trying again to have the ban lifted.

"He made a decision, he made a decision that was not the right decision, he made a decision that he has paid a price for," Clark said.

For the second year in a row, lefthander Francisco Liriano will be the Pirates' opening-day starter, manager Clint Hurdle announced Tuesday.

Liriano will take the hill against the Cincinnati Reds April 6 at Great American Ball Park as the first Pirates pitcher to start on opening day in consecutive seasons since left-hander Oliver Perez (2005-06).

"We just want to put to rest that we've had nine different opening-day pitchers in a row," Hurdle said. "We wanted to settle down and kick that one to the curb."