Padres Manager Doesn't Know if Yu Darvish Will Be Ready for Opening Day

Oct 11, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish (11) pitches in the first inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the NLDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

San Diego Padres veteran pitcher Yu Darvish is entering his 13th Major League season. There is a chance Darvish's 2025 debut will be made later than usual as he deals with "general fatigue."

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Padres manager Mike Shildt isn't 100 percent certain Darvish will be ready for Opening Day.

“I can’t say it couldn’t impact it, but I don’t have the information right now to say it’s going to or won’t impact it," Shildt said, via The San Diego Union-Tribune's Kevin Acee. "He has dealt with fatigue before and just working through it. … It’s fluid we’re evaluating as the days go. He’s had a couple days of rest and we’ll see how he responds, what that looks like from a medical standpoint — what that clearance looks like.”

While Darvish may not be ready for the start of the season, the soon-to-be 39-year-old won't be rushed back to the mound. There's also the possibility the Padres will limit his workload in 2025.

President of baseball operations A.J. Preller said the priority is for Darvish to replicate his stellar performance this October, so his health later on in the season is of upmost important.

“At times for Yu-san, less is more,” Preller said this spring. “And I think for us in terms of understanding, hey, the most important thing is what we saw last year when he was pitching in October. Yu Darvish in October is obviously a very talented and capable pitcher — seeing what he did in L.A. in two starts.

"So I think for us, it’s like understanding that, like, yeah, the World Series isn’t played in April or May. These games are important. But we’re gonna try and do everything we can … to make sure he is as prepared as he can to go perform at a high level.”

If Darvish is not ready to begin the season, the Padres will rely on Kyle Hart, Randy Vásquez, or Stephen Kolek to fill in for him while he improves. Hart, Vásquez, and Kolek are all in competition to be the No. 5 starter, so they are all certainly able to make quality starts for San Diego.

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