Yu Darvish Suffers Another Setback & Will Miss Entire 2026 Season, Putting the Padres In A Bind

Yu Darvish has suffered another medical issue that may ultimately be a career-ending injury. It was announced on Tuesday, November 4, that Darvish will miss the entire 2026 season after undergoing surgery to repair a flexor tendon and an internal brace in his elbow.

The recovery time for the ulnar collateral ligament is usually 12 to 15 months. This timeline means Darvish will be in his mid-40s when he attempts a return. At that age, it's not encouraging that he will be able to make an adequate return. The righty missed the beginning of the 2025 season due to elbow inflammation, making his debut in July, and ultimately starting only 15 games. The veteran struggled over his 72 innings of work, posting a 5.38 ERA, a career worst, and struck out 68 batters. His 23 percent strikeout percentage was also a career worst.

This injury comes at a bad time for the San Diego Padres. When healthy, Darvish is an inning-eater, which isn't easy to replace. The Padres also lost fellow inning-eater Dylan Cease to free agency, and Michael King has opted out of his contract, becoming a free agent. That's three front-end starters that the Padres need to account for. The team will welcome back 32-year-old Joe Musgrove, but he is returning from Tommy John surgery that forced him to sit out this past season, so his effectiveness will be a question mark.

With Musgrove likely to be on the 26-man roster, the Padres must also fill at least two more rotation spots after losing Darvish, Cease, and King. Current rotation pieces include ace Nick Pivetta, Randy Vásquez, JP Sears, and Matt Waldron, all of whom are candidates for rotation or bullpen roster spots. Only Pivetta (2.87 ERA) and Vásquez (3.84 ERA) posted under a 5.00 ERA last season, emphasizing the urgent need to acquire another front-end starter for both competitive and roster stability, while considering financial limitations.

The Padres, currently 25th in Competitive Balance Tax Space ($52 million), must navigate available roster spots and budget as they replace front-end rotation members. The front office also faces roster decisions at additional positions, needing a power bat, a first baseman, or a designated hitter. It must also decide if Freddie Fermin can claim the catcher roster spot for the whole season.