The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Yu Darvish on the 15-day injured list with neck tightness Wednesday. The move is retroactive to Monday, meaning Darvish cannot return until April 30 at the earliest.
Darvish, the Padres’ Opening Day starter and the second-oldest pitcher to start a major-league game this season, has a 4.18 ERA through five starts.
Starting-pitching options in the upper levels of San Diego’s farm system include Randy Vásquez, Ryan Bergert, Jackson Wolf and Adam Mazur. Reliever Jhony Brito, currently with the Padres, also has starting experience.
The injury is the first documented ailment for Darvish, 37, since he was shut down last September with a stress reaction in his right elbow. He previously missed time in 2022 with right elbow inflammation.
In a corresponding move Wednesday, the Padres recalled reliever Logan Gillaspie from Triple-A El Paso.
How concerning is this move?
No specifics regarding Darvish’s injury were immediately available Wednesday morning, but any IL move involving this rotation is reason for concern. Darvish and Joe Musgrove, the Padres’ two oldest (and highest-paid) starters, had their 2023 seasons cut short by arm injuries.
Both pitchers have been uneven early this season, with troubling underlying numbers. Darvish’s average fastball velocity, at 93.5 mph, is down a full tick from last year, and the average exit velocity against him is up by more than four miles per hour.
His IL stint could be the first notable one the Padres must navigate this season. First baseman Jake Cronenworth has been day to day since Monday with a calf/hamstring injury. The Padres are hopeful Cronenworth will avoid the IL.
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(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)
