Right-hander Yu Darvish will begin the season on the injured list. Manager Mike Shildt informed reporters today, including Dennis Lin of The Athletic and AJ Cassavell of MLB.com. The righty was diagnosed with elbow inflammation earlier this week. “We feel pretty comfortable that some rest and getting ramped back up will be the answer,” Shildt says. That doesn’t point to a long absence but it will leave two rotation spots for the trio of Kyle Hart, Stephen Kolek and Randy Vásquez.
Darvish has been dealing with occasional bouts of elbow inflammation for a while now. He finished the 2023 season on the IL due to inflammation in that right elbow. In 2024, he missed time due to various issues. He had some neck tightness, a groin strain, an undisclosed family issue and some more elbow inflammation. He was limited to 81 2/3 innings last year.
Though Shildt downplayed the severity, it’s a somewhat concerning situation. Any injury to a pitcher’s throwing elbow is somewhat alarming. In the case of Darvish, the elbow problems are becoming somewhat frequent and he’s going to turn 39 years old in August.
The San Diego rotation has been an ongoing point of focus. Joe Musgrove required Tommy John surgery in October, blowing a big hole in the 2025 staff. That left them with a front three of Darvish, Dylan Cease and Michael King. They signed Nick Pivetta in the offseason to take a fourth spot.
That left guys like Matt Waldron, Hart, Kolek and Vásquez as contenders for the final rotation spot. But Waldron is on the shelf due to an oblique strain and now Darvish is out. That appears to leave two rotation spots for the Hart/Kolek/Vásquez trio.
Hart has almost no major league experience but dominated in Korea last year. He tossed 157 innings in the KBO with a 2.69 earned run average, 28.8% strikeout rate, 6% walk rate and 46% ground ball rate. That led to a deal with the Padres but he was slowed in camp by the flu. He only made his spring debut on Sunday, tossing three innings.
Kolek just made his big league debut last year, as a Rule 5 pick out of the Mariners organization. He stuck in the San Diego bullpen all year and posted a 5.21 ERA, though with better peripherals. His .359 batting average on balls in play and 64.3% strand rate were both on the unlucky side, so he had a 3.57 FIP and and 3.41 SIERA. He has been getting stretched out in camp and has a 2.19 ERA in 12 1/3 innings.
Vásquez had a 4.87 ERA over 20 starts for the Friars last year. He has only thrown four innings of official Cactus League action, having allowed two earned runs with three strikeouts and one walk. His last official outing was March 2 but he has been throwing on backfields and in sim games.
You got me blacklisted at Hop-Sing’s??
That’s what she said.
That’s actually what Elaine’s boyfriend said to her….so not what she said.
But she did “name names.”
She named names
But can she name nuts? Walnut; Peanut, Postaccio nut, White Postaccio nut…
Why would some people call a hazelnut a Filbert? The latter seems especially dorky
So when you get a rash all over your face in January, you think Coleman’s is gonna be there with a medical plan?
Who will pitch opening day?
King to start, it’s been announced.
King today: 5 IP, 1 hit, no runs, no BB, 4 K
Vásquez looked good too
Vasquez 4 IP, 2 hits, 1 run on solo HR, no BB and 4K. He may have won a spot at the back of the rotation to start the season.
We’ll see how Hart does today
Hart may have played himself out of a spot in the rotation with his start today. He was giving up seriously hard-hit balls even on outs all day, 9 balls in play over 95 mph and 6 over 100 mph including 2 HR. At the end of the outing, he had given up 6 runs in 4.2 IP. It was ugly.
Darvish hurt, were ALREADY a game behind the Dodgers…WERE DOOMED!!!
2 games…
each win/loss constitutes a half game in the standings. so in an official sense the padres are 1.0 games behind la. but yes they’ve played two
Don’t confuse Dodger fans with facts.
Don’t tell Cubs fans that they’re currently in last place while the STL, CIN, MIL, and PIT are in first.
I think you just did, YBC!
The sky is falling. The Padres will catch LA soon.
In what, pitcher injuries?
Stop looking at standings and start playing some games already!
Scoreboard watching mode, activated. The Postseason push seems to start just a little bit sooner every szn…
I’m already keeping an eye on the 2027 scoreboard, and liking what I see.
Are they battling the Angels for draft position?
You don’t realize there is a lottery, do you?
Padsfan, Is that what the Padres are playing for? Ping pong balls.
That whooshing sound you keep hearing is the point going over your head.
When you say catch LA soon, do you mean by 2056?
His own godson doesn’t even want to play with him
Kyle hart could be an interesting SP
Solid transformation in korea
Wonder if it will translate to the majors
I think Kolek and Hart get it.
Stop! Bauer time!
Urias will be available after the break. Just hope he doesn’t get caught beating his wife in front of some club in the Gaslamp….
And now… *Comments Closed*
Jerry: Pretty disgusting that a two-time violater gets a third chance. He was very good before his suspensions. It will be interesting to see who signs him and if he’ll be a good P again.
Yeah, what he’s done was worse than Bauer. But Urias never talked smack about Manfred, so he gets a third chance….
Uh yeah….said no one with any degree of critical thinking ability.
Bauer was participating in kinky consensual activities. Unless you think Urias’ wife likes being slapped around….
@avenger65 Not clear that he will get a third chance.
Urias will be blacklisted too….
We’ll see. Bauer isn’t the only player to be blacklisted over allegations that didn’t end in a conviction (Norris, Russell, Foltynewicz).
They’re both $?!+birds. Trying to defend either one of them is imprudent.
Urias didn’t get all hot for teachers during his beating of his lady,so there’s no comparison IMO. Getting your rocker off watching a damsel black and blue, unconscious as you do it. Prelude to Ted stuff
Being uncomfortably unconscious as you are violated is hardly consensual and if it was ,Bauer the Prowler is to kinky a boy to have in a clubhouse around women and children.
If only there was a Weird Al song lampooning that old Too Sexy song with “Too Kinky For the Clubhouse!”
Nothing happened. It was a shakedown, and it worked.
And of course, Weird Al dressed up like Trevor with his douchey Incel mug.
A Bauer hater calling others incels is the ultimate in irony lmfao.
Yeah if only
Sure believe that
You mean 2-3 shakedowns, apparently.
Not a hater…. but strong antipathy for any person who pulls that crap/ doesn’t know when to stop if they’re into alt lifestyles and those folks are equivalent to the detritus I clean off my boots.
Please check definition of irony, your handle implies you may find a dictionary to be a great read.
No, not a heater, just don’t respect people who have none for themselves or others.
Let’s F’n Go LAD 213!!!! Wow, great LA version of a handle! It’s so witty, Jerry/colletti’s toupee might want it as their next.
Pardon my saltiness, thinking of Urias’ future and what could’ve been if he had a higher EQ is a shame to ponder.
One of then was indicted for felony fraud and extortion so…
Yu Darvish is the primary reminder for me that prospect hype is its own ecosystem that has no bearing on reality.
I remember reading about Yu Darvish like he was gonna be a Superman/Captain Marvel / Dr. Manhattan level force to be reckoned with- peak Cliff Lee, etc. etc. and instead he’s just kinda around, pitching out a contract on a team, quietly paid very well but nothing record breaking.
Meh.
Darvish has had a fine career. Even if he’s broken the hearts of his teams’ fans in the playoffs….
That was Cease last year.
2017 Game 7
Baseball America in 2011: “Darvish gives [The Rangers] a No. 1 starter for the foreseeable future. While Japanese pitchers such as Hideo Nomo and Matsuzaka had short-lived success in the United States, Darvish appears to be built for the long haul. Just 25, he’s coming to Texas at the peak of his career and immediately will step to the front of the Rangers rotation.”
Baseball Prospectus in 2012: “He’s not without flaws, but the former Japanese ace has the stuff to become a future major league ace, and that is the most sought after commodity in the game.”
FanGraphs in 2012 regarding Darvish’s projections: “Even if Darvish crumbles as far as Daisuke did and then some, he’d still be a Top 15 or Top 20 pitcher in the league.”
Idk, I think they all hit the nail on the head. He’s been a front-line starter multiple times throughout his career. Fans may have overrated him early on, but most scouting reports never said he’d be a generational talent or anything.
15th in IP and 16th in SIERA since 2012. He’s had a great career and can still slot comfortably into a playoff rotation.
TTO –
Would you be surprised to find out that Yu Darvish got to 1500 strikeouts in fewer starts then any pitcher in the history of the game?
Randy Johnson previously had that record and Yu did it in around 9 or 10 fewer starts.
That said I’m bummed he’s not bankable for 25+ starts at this point in his career. I think he could still get hitters out an average pace well into his 40’s with his deep repertoire.
Darvish has the lowest ERA and FIP and highest # and rate of SO of any Japanese starter with at least 150 starts in MLB. Darvish has 282 starts
Since his 2012 rookie season he is 13th in ERA, 11th in FIP, and 10th in WAR among ALL qualifying MLB starting pitchers. Last season he had a 3.31 ERA. 28th in MLB. Ace stuff at 37.
He IS the Superman and Captain Marvel of Japanese starting pitchers and pretty far up the list of all starting pitchers the past 13 seasons. .
If he’s the Superman or Capt. Marvel of Japanese starters, would that make him the Goku of starting pitchers?
Darvish is a 5x AS 4 top-10 CY seasons, and a career 118 ERA+. I’m hoping my RS draft a few of those guys.
Hopefully he comes back healthy soon. Having him and Musgrove down is not ideal. At least we don’t have to watch Arrieta and Velazquez mop up innings for the foreseeable future.
Bro, why you gotta give me painful Arrieta flashbacks? I’m tryinggggg to enjoy my weekend ovah ‘ere! >.<
Jake Arrieta? Never heard of him. Who’s that?
Arrieta’s not a person, it’s a pasta sauce.
Don’t Google that, just trust. 🙂
Lol forgot you guys had Arrieta for a bit at the of his career. You guys really needed bodies to lob the ball to the catcher that badly. Dark times for the Friars…
My b, G.
Dark times (much lighter than pre-2020, tho)
So weird that Jake Arrieta won a CY Young award but Nolan Ryan never did.
Padres bout to miss the wild card this year
Yu hurt.
No, I’m fine. Thanks tho!
Yu gotta believe!
I just had a flashback to Shea in the 70s
Bring back Jake Peavy
They did.
Yu can’t even begin to understand what a fine kettle of fish this has become…
That violent bum, urias, should never set foot on an MLB field ever again.
It’s a bummer but unsurprising. Ironically, Kolek is the most built-up this spring. Both Vasquez and Hart have barely thrown any innings so far, and I’m not sure how built-up either will be with one more pass through the rotation before OD. It feels like a coin flip, but maybe Hart will get the nod with the ML contract.
I read that as Kojak at first.
Who loves ya, baby?
From shildt’s comments before today’s game against the Cubs, Darvish should be back by the 2nd time his spot in the rotation comes around. Just missing one start.
Tommy John is coming for Darvish, doubt he pitches 5 games this season if any
Darvish a gonner this year
Modern pitching strategies might be setting pitchers up for injury down the road. No surprise. Most of them are just expected to throw hard all the time.
This really isn’t surprising. Great pitcher but is often injury prone. Hopefully Padres have a plan B. They should have factored that in from day 1
Did you forget that he missed time last season for personal family reasons? He made 24 starts in 2023 and had four full seasons in the years prior.
I guess i did miss that. He’s a very very good pitcher. I put him up there with the best. He’s just getting older
Hart just pitched himself out of a spot in the rotation today. Bienvenido a El Paso Kyle.