Rangers place pitcher Yu Darvish on DL

The Rangers placed Yu Darvish on the DL with a with right trap strain. (Photo by John Williamson/Getty Images)

The Texas Rangers placed pitcher Yu Darvish on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Sunday, with fatigue of the trapezius muscle in his upper back, reports MLB.com.

Darvish will not pitch in the next week's All-Star Game and is expected to only miss one start.

Darvish is 8-4 this season with a 3.02 ERA and 157 strikeouts, which lead Major League Baseball. Darvish has already allowed more home runs this season (15) than last (14).

“I think it’s a move of prudence,” Rangers assistant GM Thad Levine said Wednesday. “It’s a chance to get him some rest, have him miss only one start, catch his breath and be ready to hit the ground running in the second half.”

Darvish will return to Texas to be evaluated further.

“I don’t think this is a big issue,” Darvish said in a statement released by the Rangers. “It’s just a precaution, but I’d rather miss one start than push through it.”