Yu Darvish Suffers Setback, Won’t Return to Padres on Tuesday

Darvish's return has been delayed.

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

San Diego Padres right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish has suffered a setback and will not return to the Padres on Tuesday after all. The 37-year-old has been on the injured list since the end of May due to a groin strain and was expected to return on Tuesday against the Washington Nationals.

However, Darvish's return has been delayed due to " a little" elbow inflammation, Padres manager Mike Shildt told reporters on Monday. In his place, Adam Mazur will get the start.

Yu Darvish has “a little” elbow inflammation, Mike Shildt said. Adam Mazur will start tomorrow.

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) June 24, 2024

Darvish was on track for a return after he made a rehab start last Wednesday. Darvish struggled during his Single-A start on Wednesday, giving up one home run, seven hits, six earned runs, and one walk while striking out three batters in the loss. Despite the poor start, the team announced soon after that the plan was for Darvish to start Tuesday, but elbow inflammation has now gotten in the way and delayed his comeback.

When healthy this season, the five-time All-Star is 4-3 with a 3.20 ERA and 53 strikeouts. He, of course, has missed significant time this season. Prior to the groin strain, Darvish went on the injured list due to neck tightness in April.

In his place, the rookie Mazur will get his fifth MLB start. After a solid first start in which he allowed just two hits and one run in six innings, Mazur has struggled. He is 0-2 with a 7.27 ERA and 11 strikeouts this season, but will work to improve on Tuesday.

As for Darvish, there's no announcement regarding what's next. But for now, he'll remain on the IL.