Padres Push Back Yu Darvish’s Cactus League Debut for Unfortunate Reason

San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish will not make his Cactus League debut Friday. The veteran pitcher requested a controlled environment early in camp, and has only pitched in simulated games up until this point.

More news: ESPN Insider Unimpressed With Padres' Offseason Moves

While many fans were eager to witness Darvish on the mound again, he unfortunately won't be making his spring debut Friday because of the weather. The Padres wanted to take away the variability of the rain, and pushed the veteran's first start of Cactus League back one day.

Yu Darvish’s start has been pushed to Saturday due to the weather. LHP Kyle Hart will start for the Padres today at MIL. https://t.co/uZCfDvLiWJ
— San Diego Padres (@Padres) March 7, 2025

Instead, left-hander Kyle Hart will get the start on the road. Hart is competing to be the No. 5 starter and is coming off a strong performance in the Korea Baseball Organization where he won the Cy Young-equivalent award.

The Padres have not selected their Opening Day starter, but Darvish is of course in the running to get the nod. Right-handers Dylan Cease and Michael King are also candidates, a testament to the talent in the San Diego rotation.

“We’re still working through a few things,” Shildt said, via MLB.com's AJ Cassavell. “The good news is we have multiple choices. Everyone is like: ‘Is that a hard decision?’ No. It’s a hard decision to make. But it’s good to have that hard decision, because you have multiple guys that could be your No. 1 Opening Day guy.”

Cease was the first of the trio to make an appearance in a Cactus League game. Last weekend, the right-hander threw 43 pitches against the Cincinnati Reds and allowed one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts and a walk.

Cease making his spring debut earlier than Darvish and King is not an indication he will be the Opening Day starter, especially since the latter specifically requested a controlled environment early in camp.

Darvish pitched in a simulated game last Saturday against the Chicago White Sox. The veteran allowed one home run on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks across three innings.

Darvish is now expected to make his Cactus League debut Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians at the Peoria Sports Complex.

In 2024, Darvish went 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA, 78 strikeouts, and a 1.065 WHIP across 81.2 innings pitched.

More news: Michael King Sets Major Goal For Himself in Second Season With Padres

For more Padres news, head over to Padres on SI.