Yu Darvish is one of the best pitchers of his generation. A constant contender for the Cy Young in his prime, the Japanese-born pitcher has been a consistent force on the mound for the teams he's played for. That being said, the San Diego Padres pitcher is getting up there in age. It's no surprise, then, when rumors that Darvish was retiring before the start of the 2026 season started popping up.

Darvish posted on X to clear up said rumors. In a post written in Japanese, Darvish explained what was happening behind the scenes. The pitcher said that he's had talks with the Padres about terminating his contract, but that he hasn't decided to retire. Darvish also expressed his intent to come back after rehab for a fresh start, and that he'll be going to Petco Park for his rehab.

Darvish also made a post in English that echoed the same sentiments as his post in Japanese.

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Darvish exited his last start of the season against the Chicago Cubs early, pitching just one inning in the Wild Card round. As a result of the surgery he underwent to repair his UCL, the pitcher will miss the entire 2026 season.

The Padres pitcher still has three years left on his six-year, $108 million contract with San Diego. Despite that contract, Darvish expressed his doubt in December that he would still play in the MLB a month after his surgery.

“I’m not necessarily thinking about really pitching, as I go through this rehab process right now,” Darvish said, per MLB.com. “I don’t have that in my mind. I’m just trying to just rehab my arm right now. 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.”

Should this be the end of Darvish's career, he would finish as one of the greatest Japanese-born prospects to enter the MLB. He's a five-time All-Star and was named to the All-Pro team in 2020.