Yu Darvish shares glimpse of Day 15 recovery after UCL brace surgery sidelines pitcher for entire 2026 season

Last week, San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish made a heartbreaking announcement about undergoing UCL surgery. It’s a huge blow for the team, as the $108M star will miss the entire 2026 season and has a rehab timeline of 12-15 months.

In an Instagram story on Wednesday, Darvish shared his Day 15 rehab progress, showing himself exercising his right elbow after internal brace surgery.

Yu Darvish [Credit: Instagram]

On his IG post on Nov. 4 sharing the news of his surgery, Darvish said,

“Last Wednesday, I had surgery done by Dr. Meister to repair my flexor tendon, have an internal brace attached to my UCL. I will be working hard on my rehab to be able to throw a ball comfortably again.”

Injuries have been part of Darvish's journey for quite some time now. Before his recent surgery, he dealt with elbow inflammation that sidelined him for three months in 2025.

Prior to his stint with the Padres, Darvish missed an entire season with the Texas Rangers after Tommy John surgery in 2015. Furthermore, in 2018, he underwent arthroscopic surgery on the same elbow with the Chicago Cubs. He also suffered from hip, back, groin, triceps, and forearm injuries.

Darvish, who still has three years remaining on his contract, made 15 starts for the Padres last season. He went 5-5 with a 5.38 ERA, the highest of his career.

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Padres in need of depth with Yu Darvish possibly out of lineup for the entire 2026 season

Yu Darvish [Credit: Imagn]

Yu Darvish's injury has added to the Padres' starting pitching concerns, especially with fellow starters Dylan Cease and Michael King hitting free agency. In a press conference during the GM meetings on Tuesday, Padres GM A.J. Preller highlighted the team's need for arms during the offseason.

“Every year, every team in here is talking about starting pitching,” said Preller per MLB.com. “But especially with [Michael] King and [Dylan] Cease in free agency and [Yu] Darvish’s injury, it’s probably our top need going into the offseason.”

While there’s a possibility of Cease and King returning, the Padres are also looking into names like Jack Flaherty, Framber Valdez, Zac Gallen, and Ranger Suarez. The team is also expecting the return of pitcher Joe Musgrove from Tommy John surgery.

Apart from Musgrove, the team also has Nick Pivetta, Randy Vasquez, and JP Sears. They’re also likely to dip their toes into the free agency to sign high-end players for rotation depth.