Darvish will not start Tuesday for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic final against Team USA, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
It will instead be Shota Imanaga on the mound to begin the contest. Darvish was the presumed starter for the contest, and it's likely both he and Shohei Ohtani will be available out of the bullpen for the championship contest with Darvish likely available for multiple innings. Padres manager Bob Melvin has expressed concern about the lack of innings Darvish has received in the tournament, so it'll be interesting to see how much -- if at all -- the 36-year-old pitches against USA on Tuesday.
