Yu Darvish says talk of retirement is premature as the San Diego Padres right-hander recovers from elbow surgery that will keep him out for the entire 2026 season.
Darvish wrote on X that he is “leaning toward” voiding his contract with the National League club, but that the “finer details are yet to be decided.”
Darvish signed a six-year extension with the Padres prior to the 2023 season and three years and $46 million are remaining on the deal.
“Right now I am fully focused on my rehab for my elbow, and if I get to a point where I can throw again, I will start from scratch again to compete. If once I get to that point I feel I can’t do that, I will announce my retirement,” Darvish wrote.
In Japanese, he added that he plans to do some of his rehab at San Diego’s Petco Park and attend part of spring training.
The 39-year-old was responding to a report in the San Diego Union-Tribune that said Darvish does not plan to pitch again in MLB.
The Osaka Prefecture native started just 15 games for the Padres in 2025, posting a 5-5 record and a 5.38 ERA, the worst mark of his 13-year MLB career.
In 297 career starts, Darvish has a 115-93 record and a 3.65 ERA. He has 2,075 strikeouts, a record for a Japanese pitcher in MLB, across 1,778 innings with the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and the Padres.
Prior to making the move to MLB, Darvish starred with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, posting a 93-38 record and a 1.99 ERA over seven seasons. In 2007, Darvish went 15-5 with a 1.82 ERA, earning him the Sawamura Award as Japan’s top pitcher.