While his future remains up in the air, the door has not yet closed on right-hander Yu Darvish eventually returning to the San Diego Padres.
Early Wednesday morning, Darvish was spotted throwing a light bullpen session at Petco Park for the first time since undergoing internal brace surgery on his right elbow last October. The right-hander later clarified that this was his second full bullpen session since the procedure, which typically carries a return timeline of 12 to 15 months.
Darvish, who turned 40 earlier this month, has two years and $30 million remaining on his contract. After refuting reports that he was planning to retire in January, the right-hander indicated that he would commit to his rehab before making any decision on his future.
“I am fully focused on my rehab for my elbow, and if I get to a point where I can throw again, I will start from scratch again to compete,” Darvish wrote in a social media post at the time. “If once I get to that point I feel I can’t do that, I will announce my retirement.”
The Padres placed Darvish on the restricted list in March, allowing the right-hander to spend more time away from the team and with his family while rehabbing the injury. Players on the restricted list remain under contractual control of their club but are no longer mandated to receive compensation.
MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell reported Wednesday that Darvish is not necessarily committed to a comeback but is on schedule in his recovery process. While there is no timeline for a decision just yet, the fact that he is still moving forward with his rehab at least makes it possible that he could be back on a big league mound in 2027.
“He looks like he could come back,” Padres manager Craig Stammen told Cassavell. “We’ll see if he wants to.”
Before the injury, Darvish averaged 93.9 mph on his four-seam fastball and 93.4 mph on his sinker — just a tick below his averages from the previous few seasons. The five-time All-Star made 15 starts with the Padres in 2025, posting a 5.38 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 8.5 K/9 rate across 72 innings.
In 13 career big league seasons, Darvish has gone 115-93 with a 3.65 ERA and 2,075 strikeouts. His 208 combined victories between MLB and Japan’s NPB are the most of any pitcher all time.
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