FRISCO - On his way to the mound at Dr Pepper Ballpark on Sunday, Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish focused on one fear.

"I hoped I'm not going to blow (out) my elbow," said Darvish, speaking through an interpreter.

That is the stuff of nightmares.

It did not happen. The arm, and everything else, works again.

Darvish, returning from Tommy John surgery in March, 2015, got through the beginning of a minor-league injury-rehabilitation as well as could have been expected. His stuff was good, and the repaired elbow held up without complaint.

Darvish worked two scoreless innings for Double-A Frisco against Houston's light-hitting Corpus Christi affiliate, which began the day with the second-lowest team average in all of the minors at .211. Darvish allowed one baserunner, on a walk and had two strikeouts.

Most of all, "I was able to pitch two innings healthy," he said through an interpreter. That was the most encouraging item of the exercise for Darvish.

The usually stoic Darvish clearly enjoyed the day. Darvish was so eager to get going that he asked catcher Chris Gimenez to throw with him about 30 minutes earlier than usual.

"He was extremely excited to be back out there," said Gimenez, also with Frisco on a rehab assignment. "He probably won't tell anybody that, but he really was."

For those interested in comparisons, consider the first rehab appearance of two other high-profile pitchers last year when they were coming back from the same surgery.

Miami's Jose Fernandez gave up eight hits and five runs in three innings during a game in the Class A Florida State League. Tampa Bay's Matt Moore allowed two hits and two unearned runs in 2 1/3 innings in an FSL game.

A scout with an American League club said Darvish showed better velocity than expected and had good spin on the slider, which produced both strikeouts.

Darvish threw 24 fastballs, all two-seamers, at an average speed of 94.3 mph. Darvish twice touched 97 mph. He kiddingly insisted the radar guns were slow, and those pitches were actually 99 mph.

The command was inconsistent, and Darvish did not have a feel for the cutter. Darvish had only 18 strikes in 32 pitches and started four of the eight hitters faced with ball one. That scout said that is typical for a pitcher coming back from a lengthy absence.

"Most of my concern was trying not to blow (out) my elbow again," Darvish said. "That was my first concern. I'm very happy about today's outing."

The rehab assignment is also about learning again what it takes to pitch in a competitive situation. Bullpen work, batting practice session and simulated games are helpful, but nothing replaces a game, even at the Texas League level.

This was Darvish's first game at any level since Aug. 9, 2014, at Houston. He felt the familiar surge of adrenaline on Saturday night and carried that into the game. Every pitch was important.

"It's been a while since I pitched in a game situation," Darvish said. "I felt like I was pitching with the bases loaded in a big league game every pitch."

Darvish likely will make four more minor-league rehab starts, adding one inning and 15 pitches each time. The tentative plan calls for his next start to be on Friday, probably with Triple-A Round Rock.

The anticipation for his return to the Rangers' rotation, possibly on May 27 against Pittsburgh, is already building. Darvish departed to a standing ovation.

"I am glad the fans didn't forget me for not pitching in more than a year," Darvish said. "I appreciate that."