Yu Darvish: Everything you need to know

The Padres placed Darvish (elbow) on the restricted list Wednesday. Darvish's placement on the restricted list frees up significant payroll for the Padres as they don't have to pay a salary to the veteran right-hander for as long as he's sidelined, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. Darvish will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing UCL repair surgery on his right elbow in November, and while he has mulled over retirement, a formal decision has yet to be made by the 39-year-old.

Darvish (elbow) is considering retiring from professional baseball, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports. Darvish is slated to earn $46 million over the next three years, but after undergoing UCL repair surgery in November that will cause him to miss all of 2026, the 39-year-old's future in MLB is uncertain. Injuries have limited him to just 31 big-league starts over the past two seasons, during which he's turned in a 4.28 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 153.2 total innings.

Darvish (elbow) said Monday that he's unsure whether he will continue his baseball career after completing rehab for his November UCL repair with an internal brace and flexor tendon surgery, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reports. Darvish will miss the entire 2026 season and will be 40 years old heading into the 2027 campaign. He's owed $30 million between 2027 and 2028, so while he has financial incentive to continue pitching, the right-hander is currently focused on his rehab and will make a decision about his playing career at a later date. Darvish posted a 5.38 ERA and 68:19 K:BB over 72 regular-season innings covering 15 starts for the Padres in 2025.