Yu Darvish Has Already Made Big Impact on 2026 Padres

San Diego Padres veteran Yu Darvish has played a different role for the team in 2026, yet he's still made a significant impact.

The last five seasons, Darvish has played a key role in the Padres starting rotation, serving as both a seasoned veteran and true competitor.

Darvish won't feature in the starting rotation this season because of injury. So instead, the right-hander is serving as a mentor to Randy Vásquez.

“He’s an incredible person,” Vásquez said through interpreter Pedro Gutiérrez. “He’s helped me out a lot ever since I came here to San Diego. He’s very special to me. We text, we FaceTime, we call each other.”

Vásquez is a crucial piece of the Padres rotation this year, with the right-hander's strong spring performance translating to the regular season. The right-hander recorded the Padres' first win of the season, tossing six shutout innings against the Detroit Tigers.

Darvish mentored Vásquez throughout the offseason, with manager Craig Stammen revealing the veteran was teaching the former New York Yankees pitcher how to be the Dominican version of the five-time MLB All-Star.

“Yu Darvish is trying to teach Randy how to be the Dominican Yu Darvish,” Stammen said.

Why is Yu Darvish Out For the 2026 Season?

Darvish made headlines this offseason as there was a report released that stated the right-hander was set to retire. He later refuted the report on social media.

"I will not be announcing my retirement yet," Darvish posted. "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."

Ahead of the 2026 season, the Padres placed the 39-year-old on the restricted list as he recovers from elbow surgery.

"This is something we've been planning for and working toward throughout the whole offseason," Padrs president of baseball operations A.J. Preller said. "It's not a surprise. I think, ultimately, it's just figuring out exactly what he wanted to do and what list was the right list to put him on."

The move seemingly frees up payroll for the Padres as Darvish was set to earn $15 million this season, but will not get paid while being on the restricted list. Regardless, the veteran seems to be making an impact with the team as he mentors Vásquez, one of the most important pieces in the rotation for the 2026 season.