Yu Darvish feels stronger than he did before elbow surgery and hopes to return to the Texas Rangers around the middle of May.

"I have no problems at all right now, I have no concerns at all," Darvish said through his translator. "I feel like I can throw 95 [mph] right now, but they're telling me not to, so I'm still taking my time. But I feel really good right now."

Darvish missed all of last season following Tommy John ligament replacement surgery in his right elbow.

"For 10 years, I've been throwing in my career. ... It's kind of like it became routine and I wasn't enjoying it as much as I used to when I first started my career," the 29-year-old pitcher said. "But having that time [away], I feel like I'm enjoying throwing the ball right now."