Padres roster review: Yu Darvish

YU DARVISH

• Position(s): Right-handed pitcher
• Bats / Throws: Right / Right
• 2026 opening day age: 39
• Height / Weight: 6-foot-5 / 220 pounds
• How acquired: Acquired via trade with the Chicago Cubs in December 2020
• Contract status: Will make $16 million in the fourth year of a six-year, $108 million extension signed before the start of the 2023 season; Darvish will make $15 million in 2027 and 2028.
• fWAR in 2025: 0.4
• Key 2025 stats: 5-5, 5.38 ERA, 68 strikeouts, 19 walks, 1.18 WHIP, .245 opponent average, 72 innings (15 starts)

STAT TO NOTE

• 304⅓ — The number of innings that Darvish has thrown, including the postseason, since signing an extension before the start of the 2023 season. Darvish has missed time in four of his five season so far in San Diego and more with each passing year as his innings have dropped from 194 ⅔ innings in 2022 to 136 ⅓ innings in 2023 to 81 ⅔ innings in 2024 to 72 innings in 2025. Now his troublesome elbow will keep him out for all of 2026 as Darvish in October underwent both an internal brace procedure on his ulnar collateral ligament and a flexor tendon repair.

TRENDING

• Down — While Darvish missed a large chunk of the 2024 season because of a groin, an elbow and a personal matter, two quality starts at Dodger Stadium in the NLDS seemed to position the veteran as an arm they could count on, especially if they were OK with limiting his innings at times as they’ve had an eye on in his late 30s. So there wasn’t a lot of trepidation in the organization when Darvish’s elbow sent him to the injured list to open the season. In fact, perhaps it would be best to time Darvish so he was at his best come October as was the case in 2024. So Darvish’s return was slow-played, so much so that he was afforded all the grace in the world when he didn’t feel himself during a mid-May rehab start for Triple-A El Paso. He continued to work on the side and finally returned to the majors in July for the start of a 16-start ramp-up as the Padres pushed for a postseason spot. The hope was that 80 pitches he needed to throw seven shutout innings at the Mets in his fifth start was a sign of things to come, but Darvish threw just two more quality starts the rest of the summer, surrendered a career-worst .465 slugging percentage to opponents and by the end of the regular season was speaking about being able to pitch to a breaking point now that the postseason had arrived. This was because of the arm angles he experimented with to allow himself to pitch with what was clearly a compromised elbow. Darvish did not break in his NL Wild Card Series start, but the leash was short as he allowed two runs on four hits in one-plus inning in a loss. Weeks after the season, he announced he’d undergone two procedures on his elbow (see stat to note), sidelining him for all of 2026.

2026 OUTLOOK

• Darvish is under contract through 2028. His initial social media post announcing his surgery said his rehab was aimed at being “able to throw a ball comfortably again,” but he told the Union-Tribune in December that he was uncertain that would happen in the majors. He cherishes playing catch with his children — one son, Shoei, has committed to UC San Diego — and hopes to be able to do that without pain after his procedure. He has a 12-to-15-month recovery window, so that’s ample time to decide what his future with the Padres, although he expects to have an influence on the pitching room and clubhouse while on the injured list this year.

ROSTER RANKINGS

• 17. RHP Yu Darvish
• 18. RHP Bradgley Rodriguez
• 19. RHP David Morgan
• 20. C Freddy Fermin
• 21. LHP Wandy Peralta
• 22. C Luis Campusano
• 23. LHP Yuki Matsui
• 24. INF Sung-Mun Song
• 25. RHP Matt Waldron
• 26. OF Bryce Johnson
• 27. RHP Ron Marinaccio
• 28. RHP Bryan Hoeing
• 29. LHP Kyle Hart
• 30. RHP Jhony Brito
• 31. INF Will Wagner
• 32. OF Tirso Ornelas
• 33. RHP Garrett Hawkins
• 34. RHP Miguel Mendez
• 35. RHP Daison Acosta
• 36. RHP Ty Adcock
• 37. RHP Alek Jacob
• 38. INF Mason McCoy