It appears as if Yu Darvish has hit a setback, now reporting ‘pain' in arm

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Yu Darvish will not start for the Cubs this weekend at Wrigley Field and the team actually doesn't know when he will return from the disabled list.

Darvish threw a bullpen early Thursday in Los Angeles and it "did not go well," according to Joe Maddon when he met with reporters:

"It did not go well," Maddon said. "Was not able to cut it loose, so we're going to re-evaluate once we get back to Chicago and we'll let you know the next step.

"He still felt the pain on extension, he said. He was unable to really turn it loose."

If Thursday's bullpen went well, Darvish was going to be in line to start Saturday at Wrigley Field against the Twins. With the setback, Tyler Chatwood will not get the start on Saturday, with Mike Montgomery throwing Friday and Jon Lester tossing Sunday on regular rest.

Pain is not a good sign for Darvish as he gets over his triceps issue that has kept him on the shelf for the last 5 weeks.

An MRI in late May showed no structural damage in Darvish's triceps. He threw a bullpen in Milwaukee on June 11 and tossed 51 pitches in a simulated game June 20 at Wrigley Field, facing live hitters (Ian Happ and Tommy La Stella). 

Darvish felt good after both instances and progressed to a rehab start with Class-A South Bend Monday, where he looked efficient and impressive on the mound in 5 innings.

However, Darvish's post-start interview in Indiana didn't go nearly as well as his outing, as he expressed a lack of conditioning and said he still felt "something" in his triceps.

He flew out to LA, rejoined the team and threw off flat ground before Thursday's rough bullpen.

The Cubs will re-evaluate Darvish when he gets back to Chicago this weekend and the next step is currently unknown.

The 31-year-old had Tommy John surgery in March 2015 and has admitted several times he's had some anxiety with his current arm issue.

After signing a 6-year, $126 million deal with the Cubs in February, Darvish has made just 8 starts in which he's gone 1-3 with a 4.95 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 49 strikeouts in 40 innings.

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