SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Padres right-hander Yu Darvish threw off a mound for a third straight day Wednesday as he continues to progress toward a return from inflammation in his pitching elbow that landed him on the injured list to start the season.
Manager Mike Shildt said Darvish would return to San Diego for another bullpen session Friday or Saturday and then the club would determine the next steps in his recovery.
“Came out of it feeling good, spoke with him yesterday after the game, he’s very encouraged,” Shildt said. “Came in earlier today and played catch. … He got off the mound again yesterday so it’s three days in a row off the mound with some throwing, with a bullpen sandwiched in between. So, recovering, still throwing well. He has a plan for another bullpen and then we’ll go from there. All favorable and trending in a good place.”
The 38-year-old Darvish went on the injured list March 24 and would be pitching in the majors for his 13th season when he’s back.
Darvish made a pair of spring training starts but was shut down after his second outing, during which he went four innings and threw 54 pitches against Kansas City on March 13.
Darvish is 110-88 with a 3.58 ERA over his big league career after pitching for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan’s Pacific League from 2005-11. He had Tommy John surgery on March 17, 2015, and returned to a major league mound on May 28, 2016.
He had back, neck and elbow problems last season and was on the restricted list for personal reasons from early July to late August. Darvish won three of four starts in September and was 1-1 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
Darvish came to the major leagues in 2012 after agreeing to a . He was , became a free agent after the World Series and signed a . Darvish was and in for a total of $108 million over six years.
His 2023 season ended in late August because of a bone spur in his right elbow.
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