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The San Diego Padres have been able to hang around in the National League playoff race this season despite playing the entirety of it without one of their best arms on the mound, but they are now getting him back. Yu Darvish is nearing a return after missing the first few months of the season with an elbow injury.
Thankfully for the Padres, it wasn't a serious elbow injury, but San Diego still opted to be cautious with its ace. Now, he is ready to get back on the mound. Darvish will make his season debut on Monday night in front of his home fans against the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to ESPN.
The Padres have been debating when to put Darvish back on the mound, and now he is finally healthy enough to do so. Manager Mike Shildt said that San Diego has been planning for this for multiple days now.
“It really just comes down from a physical standpoint,” Shildt said Sunday night. “We always have an open day on the schedule for Yu Darvish to start.”
The 38-year old also missed time during the 2024 season with an elbow injury and has been sidelined since spring training with what was labeled as right elbow inflammation.
Darvish is in his fifth season in San Diego and logged rock solid numbers last season in just 16 starts. He finished with a 7-3 record and just a 3.31 ERA, so it's clear that he still has some of the best stuff in baseball when he is healthy and rolling.
The Padres have fallen behind in the NL East race, where the Los Angeles Dodgers now have a seven-game lead in the division race. However, San Diego will need all hands on deck to keep pace in a very crowded NL Wild Card race, where it currently holds the final spot. However, there are a lot of teams chasing the Padres, so Darvish's insertion into the rotation could give them a leg up.
The Japanese star will also be a crucial piece of a possible playoff run for the Padres, especially after his stellar outings against the Dodgers last season in October. He started two games for San Diego in that five-game loss in the NLDS, notching 13.2 innings and giving up just three earned runs in that time.
