Padres’ Yu Darvish Impresses in 2025 Season Debut Versus Diamondbacks
Yu Darvish looked no worse for wear in his return to the San Diego Padres’ starting rotation on Monday at Petco Park.
After missing the first three-plus months of the season, Darvish was activated from the 60-day injured list prior to first pitch, paving the way for his season debut against the Arizona Diamondbacks. To make room, the club transferred Michael King to the 60-day IL and optioned Kyle Hart to Triple-A El Paso.
It was the veteran right-hander’s first start in the majors since Sep. 27 of last season, but he didn’t appear to be impacted by any rust, striking out five over 3.2 innings while allowing two runs on a trio of hits and walks.
Darvish retired the side in order during the first inning before enduring stressful frames in the second and third. The Padres capped his outing at 63 pitches (41 strikes), as the 38-year-old – who’ll turn 39 next month – continues building up to a starter’s workload.
“It feels good to be back,” Darvish told reporters post-game, including MLB.com’s AJ Cassavell, via interpreter Shingo Horie. “I was a little bit nervous going back in there. … I was a little bit amped up — more than usual.”
The Japanese hurler’s velocity was right where it was supposed to be, with his sinker averaging 94.2 mph – matching last season’s average – and maxing out at 95.7. His four-seamer also displayed strong readings, topping out at 95.9.
Darvish used his full eight-pitch arsenal versus the D-backs, though he primarily leaned on his breaking balls – with his sweeper, slider and curveball making up 62 percent of his repertoire, inducing 10 whiffs on 20 swings.
After departing for the night, Arizona’s offence put up four runs on San Diego’s bullpen en route to a 6-3 victory, spoiling Darvish’s return in front of the home faithful.
“Obviously, it’s a good thing to be back on the mound — back on the big league mound,” Darvish said. “You find out what you need to adjust, what you need to work on. So I’ll just keep making those adjustments, just keep working. Looking forward to the next one.”
Darvish missed most of spring training due to right elbow inflammation and ultimately opened the regular season on the IL. But he ended up missing more time than originally anticipated after suffering a setback during his initial rehab assignment in May, forcing him back to the shelf.
So, after recovering from that flare-up, the five-time All-Star had to restart his throwing progression from the beginning. Once ready, he completed a trio of simulated games before being cleared for live-game action.
“Yu felt good after the game, felt good during the game,” manager Mike Shildt said. “Sixty-three pitches, and there was a little bit of stress in there. But, again, he’s only going to get better the more he’s out there.
“It was a very, very encouraging outing for Yu. It’s good to see him back out there, to see No. 11 on the mound for the Padres.”
Despite the disappointing outcome, Monday’s contest held significance for multiple reasons: it marked Darvish’s long-awaited return to the majors, but it also featured Manny Machado’s 2,000th career hit.
Injuries have plagued Darvish over the last few seasons, preventing him from logging 150 innings or more since 2022. But now that he’s healthy again, the hope is that he can help lighten some of the weight on Dylan Cease and Nick Pivetta, who’ve had to carry this staff for most of the year.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: D. Benjamin Miller. This file is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication.