Padres Injury News: Yu Darvish Gets Elbow Update, May Not Pitch Again in 2023

Not the news that the Friars wanted to hear.

The Padres were dealt another blow to their starting rotation this week as Yu Darvish will not be heading to the injured list. He joins Joe Musgrove as San Diego will now be down multiple starters heading into the final month of the year.

Yu Darvish has a bone spur in his elbow and got a cortisone shot, Bob Melvin said. He’ll be shut down temporarily. Still a chance he pitches this season, but that’s probably contingent on something changing in a big way in the standings.

— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) August 31, 2023

This isn’t the news that the organization wanted to hear, especially since the Padres are still trying to make a last-ditch effort to reach the playoffs. But this is the reality that they find themselves in.

Darvish had been dealing with some elbow issues, and he could be done for the rest of the season. Especially with where the team is in the standings, it could make some sense to shut him down. But the veteran pitcher said that he has no intention of doing that.

“I’m not thinking I’m done for the year,” Darvish said. “My intention is to come back and pitch again this season.”

Per The SD Union-Tribune

The Padres may need to save Darvish from himself in this situation. He is 37 years old after all, and he could need major surgery to recover.

The team is also on the hook for a ton of money over the next few seasons to Darvish, so protecting their investment would be the most logical move. But Darvish is a competitor and won’t go out without a fight in all likelihood.

On the year, Darvish holds a record of 8-10 with an ERA of 4.56. He has seen a down year by his standards, but the Padres could still use him down the stretch.

They need all the help they can get at this point with their season hanging in the balance, so this isn’t great timing at all. But they will need to move forward without him for the foreseeable future.

The focus needs to be on taking each game at a time to try and get something moving. The clock is running out on their season, so the Padres don’t have much time to lose.