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LOS ANGELES — Yu Darvish‘s faint hopes of returning to a major league mound this year officially came to an end on Tuesday, when a stress reaction on the tip of his right elbow prompted him to shut down his throwing program for what remains of the San Diego Padres‘ thoroughly disappointing campaign.

Darvish, who hasn’t pitched since Aug. 25, continued to experience irritation while playing catch from about 90 feet recently and decided to stop throwing in hopes of avoiding a stress fracture.

“Some players go out there and throw with a stress reaction,” Darvish said through his interpreter. “I tried to throw, and it just didn’t go the way that we wanted.”

Darvish initially landed on the injured list with what was described as elbow inflammation. A follow-up MRI revealed that a bone spur — and not the ulnar collateral ligament — might have been the cause, a relief for someone who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2015. Offseason surgery to either shave down his bone spur or remove it entirely has been considered, but Darvish, who had a cortisone shot in late August, will first give his elbow six weeks of rest in hopes that it will heal on its own.

A stress reaction ended Darvish’s 2018 season with the Chicago Cubs prematurely, but he came back to make 31 starts the following year.

“Once he feels good and he’s able to start throwing again, we’ll evaluate that,” Padres manager Bob Melvin said when asked if Darvish’s most recent elbow injury could impact his availability in 2024. “But it’s not going to be in the next couple of weeks here during the season.”

The Padres finished July with the lowest starting pitchers ERA in the major leagues. But Joe Musgrove — still throwing in hopes of returning before season’s end — then went on the IL with shoulder inflammation, and Darvish went on the shelf shortly thereafter, finally succumbing to elbow discomfort that had plagued him throughout the summer.

Darvish signed a six-year, $108 million extension in February, taking him through his age-41 season, and struggled through an 8-10 record and a 4.56 ERA in 24 starts in 2023. His last three outings saw him allow 13 runs in a stretch of 16 innings.

“August was very frustrating,” said Darvish, his Padres now 10 games below .500 at 68-78 and eight games out of a playoff spot after Tuesday night’s 11-2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers. “Pitching is my job; that’s how I get paid. To not be able to do that, to not be able to get on the mound and pitch, there is a lot of frustration.”

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Tigers’ Baddoo to miss start of regular season

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Tigers' Baddoo to miss start of regular season

LAKELAND, Fla. — Detroit Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo had surgery to repair a broken bone in his right hand and will miss the start of the regular season.

Manager A.J. Hinch said Friday that Baddoo had more tests done after some continued wrist soreness since the start of spring training. Those tests revealed the hamate hook fracture in his right hand that was surgically repaired Thursday.

Baddoo, 26, who has been with the Tigers since 2021, is at spring training as a non-roster player. He was designated for assignment in December after Detroit signed veteran right-hander Alex Cobb to a $15 million, one-year contract. Baddoo cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo.

Cobb is expected to miss the start of the season after an injection to treat hip inflammation that developed as the right-hander was throwing at the start of camp. He has had hip surgery twice.

Baddoo hit .137 with two homers and five RBIs in 31 games last season. The left-hander has a .226 career average with 28 homers and 103 RBI in 340 games.

After the Tigers acquired him from Minnesota in the Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings in December 2020, Baddoo hit .259 with 13 homers, 55 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and a .330 on-base percentage in 124 games as a rookie in 2021. Those are all career bests.

Baddoo went into camp in a crowded outfield. The six outfielders on Detroit’s 40-man roster include three other left-handed hitters (Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter and Parker Meadows) and switch-hitter Wenceel Pérez. The other outfielders are right-handers Matt Vierling and Justyn-Henry Malloy.

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Dodgers’ Miller has no fracture after liner scare

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Dodgers' Miller has no fracture after liner scare

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Bobby Miller still had a bit of a headache but slept fine and felt much better a day after getting hit on the head by a line drive, manager Dave Roberts said Friday.

Roberts said he had spoken with Miller, who was still in concussion protocol after getting struck by a 105.5 mph liner hit by Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch in the first game of spring training Thursday.

The manager said Miller indicated that there was no fracture or any significant bruising.

“He said in his words, ‘I have a hard head.’ He was certainly in good spirits,” Roberts said.

Miller immediately fell to the ground while holding his head, but quickly got up on his knees as medical staff rushed onto the field. The 25-year-old right-hander was able to walk off the field on his own.

“He feels very confident that he can kind of pick up his throwing program soon,” said Roberts, who was unsure of that timing. “But he’s just got to keep going through the concussion protocol just to make sure that we stay on the right track.”

Miller entered spring training in the mix for a spot in the starting rotation. He had a 2-4 record with an 8.52 ERA over 13 starts last season, after going 11-4 with a 3.76 in 22 starts as a rookie in 2023.

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Brewers OF Perkins (shin) to miss start of season

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Brewers OF Perkins (shin) to miss start of season

PHOENIX — Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins is expected to miss the first month of the season after fracturing his right shin during batting practice.

Brewers manager Pat Murphy revealed the severity of Perkins’ injury before their Cactus League opener Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds.

“They’re estimating another three to four weeks to heal and a ramp-up of four to six weeks,” Murphy said. “So you’re probably looking at May.”

Perkins, 28, batted .240 with a .316 on-base percentage, six homers, 43 RBIs and 23 steals in 121 games last season. He also was a National League Gold Glove finalist at center field.

“Perkins is a big part of our team,” Murphy said. “The chemistry of the team, the whole thing, Perk’s huge. He’s one of the most loved guys on the club, and he’s a great defender, coming into his own as an offensive player. Yeah, it’s going to hurt us.”

Murphy also said right-handed pitcher J.B. Bukauskas has what appears to be a serious lat injury and is debating whether to undergo surgery. Bukauskas had a 1.50 ERA in six relief appearances last year but missed much of the season with a lat issue.

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