LOS ANGELES — In the tip, Yu Darvish’s 2023 season unfolded lots like that of the ‘23 Padres. It began with much fanfare, didn’t dwell as much as expectations and, now, it’s destined to finish before anybody in San Diego ever hoped for.
On Tuesday, the Padres formally shut Darvish down for the season as he offers with the results of an damage to his proper elbow. Speaking with reporters from the Dodger Stadium dugout earlier than San Diego’s 11-2 loss, Darvish revealed he suffered a stress response within the elbow, an damage he briefly tried to pitch by.
Darvish was shut down on the finish of August, and subsequent checks revealed a bone spur in that elbow. He acquired a cortisone injection, with the preliminary hope that he would be capable of pitch down the stretch. But when Darvish lately started enjoying catch, his elbow remained sore, prompting the choice to cease throwing.
As such, Darvish’s season involves an finish with the veteran right-hander having posted a 4.56 ERA throughout 24 begins. His marketing campaign featured its share of highlights. Darvish received the World Baseball Classic with Team Japan and broke Hideo Nomo’s all-time MLB strikeout report for a pitcher born in Japan. But when wholesome, Darvish was principally inconsistent this yr.
“Obviously, the team wasn’t able to perform to its potential, I feel like,” Darvish mentioned by interpreter Shingo Horie. “And that includes myself. So, there is some frustration there.”
At the second, the extra pertinent query is what the longer term holds for Darvish, who signed a six-year extension to stay with the Padres final offseason. Darvish has handled elbow bother up to now, together with Tommy John surgical procedure that value him his 2015 season with Texas and a stress response that value him most of his ‘18 marketing campaign with the Cubs.
That stress response, Darvish mentioned, was “pretty similar” to this one, notably in that neither progressed to the extent of a stress fracture. The distinction between the 2, in fact, is the timing. Darvish landed on the IL in May in 2018, and made a number of makes an attempt at a comeback that summer season. When these didn’t come to fruition, he underwent arthroscopic surgical procedure and was able to pitch initially of the ‘19 season.
This damage, no less than, presents Darvish with a perfect spot on the calendar for relaxation. He received’t throw for no less than six weeks, at which level he’ll be re-evaluated. Only then, he mentioned, would it not be clear whether or not he wants the same operation.
“The stress reaction, basically I need time for it to heal,” Darvish mentioned.
In the meantime, the tip of Darvish’s 2023 season raises clear questions on quite a few different injured Padres, most notably Joe Musgrove. Musgrove is making an attempt to work his method again from irritation in his proper shoulder capsule.
Initially, the Padres had deliberate for a path for Musgrove to return in the event that they had been in rivalry in late September. That plan seems to have been scrapped, given the crew’s plight within the standings.
Musgrove continues to be enjoying catch and has but to be absolutely shut down. But the crew seems to be slow-playing his workload, as he’s but to throw off a mound. That truth makes it extremely unlikely that Musgrove would pitch once more this season. Less than three weeks stay till the Oct. 1 finale.
Machado has expressed a robust need to stay within the lineup, as long as the Padres are mathematically alive within the playoff image. But it stays doable that, sooner or later, he could be shut down for the stretch run as effectively.
Already, Gary Sánchez is out for the yr with a wrist fracture. The identical is sort of definitely true of Jake Cronenworth, who has the identical damage. Key bullpen cogs Steven Wilson and Tim Hill are on the injured checklist, uncertain to return.
Which leaves the Padres in a precarious scenario, 10 video games under .500, enjoying out the stretch with out a few of their finest gamers.
“It is what it is,” mentioned supervisor Bob Melvin. “We’ve addressed that we’ve just got to keep playing, expecting to win games. You’re going to see some different guys out there. … It’s something we have to deal with, and that’s when you rely on your depth.”
Content Source: www.mlb.com