Surgery sidelines Yu Darvish for 2026, and the veteran pitcher's rehab comments strongly suggest he's contemplating an end to his decorated MLB career.
San Diego Padres veteran pitcher Yu Darvish is expected to miss the entire 2026 MLB season after undergoing surgery in the offseason.
For the Padres, losing Michael King and Dylan Cease leaves plenty of holes in the rotation, and Darvish's future with the team looks gloomy, at best.
Joe Musgrove is set to return, which is good news, but even Nick Pivetta's name has surfaced in trade discussions.
As Darvish works his way back from surgery, the veteran dropped some comments on Monday that could hint at a possible retirement, via Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune.
“I’m not necessarily thinking about really pitching as I go through this rehab process right now,” Darvish said through his translator.
“I don’t have that in my mind. I’m just trying to just rehab my arm right now. And if I get the urge to come back, if I feel that I can stand on the mound and come back, then I will go for that, but I’ll just leave it there for now.”
Sources even told Acee that Darvish is contemplating retirement, and the pitcher said he was going through the past season thinking it could be the end of the road for his MLB career.
“I don’t feel like I was able to really contribute to the team during that time while I was pitching,” Darvish said. “In my mind, I was thinking that maybe this could be it for me. So I was kind of, in a way, grinding through the season, trying to get the best out of myself for the team.”
Darvish did struggle, going 5-5 with a 5.38 ERA in 15 starts. In the postseason, he started Game 3 of the NLDs against the Chicago Cubs, going just one inning and giving up two runs on four hits before being taken out of the game.
He just finished his third season of a $108 million, six-year contract that he signed, so he is owed a lot of money.
While Darvish retiring would free up money, AJ Preller said they will not rush the process for him, especially with the way Darvish has handled himself throughout his career.
“We’ve got some more questions for the future and what does (the surgery) mean for Yu,” Preller said. “He’s a pro, and we have a ton of respect for him. We’re gonna let him go through his process and keep talking to him in the next couple of weeks.”
But, at least for right now, there is a likelihood that Darvish calls it quits.