Padres’ Darvish (elbow) shut down for rest of year
-
Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
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.”
The 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs begin on April 19. The Winnipeg Jets are the NHL’s top overall seed, having finished the regular season with the most points in the standings, and the Washington Capitals earned the No. 1 seed in the East.
This page will be your home throughout the postseason, including schedules, scores, highlights and other preview content.
Read on for the full playoff coverage from every first-round series all the way through the Stanley Cup Final.
First round
Atlantic Division
Regular-season records:
Maple Leafs: 51-26-4, 106 points
Senators: 44-30-7, 95 points
Leading scorers:
Maple Leafs: Mitch Marner (27 goals, 73 assists)
Senators: Tim Stutzle (23 goals, 53 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Regular-season records:
Lightning: 47-26-8, 102 points
Panthers: 47-31-4, 98 points
Leading scorers:
Lightning: Nikita Kucherov (37 goals, 84 assists)
Panthers: Sam Reinhart (39 goals, 42 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Metropolitan Division
Regular-season records:
Capitals: 51-21-9, 111 points
Canadiens: 40-31-11, 91 points
Leading scorers:
Capitals: Dylan Strome (29 goals, 52 assists)
Canadiens: Nick Suzuki (29 goals, 58 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Regular-season records:
Hurricanes: 47-29-5, 99 points
Devils: 42-32-7, 91 points
Leading scorers:
Hurricanes: Sebastian Aho (29 goals, 45 assists)
Devils: Jesper Bratt (21 goals, 67 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Central Division
Regular-season records:
Jets: 56-22-4, 116 points
Blues: 44-30-8, 96 points
Leading scorers:
Jets: Kyle Connor (41 goals, 55 assists)
Blues: Robert Thomas (21 goals, 60 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Regular-season records:
Stars: 50-25-6, 106 points
Avalanche: 49-29-4, 102 points
Leading scorers:
Stars: Matt Duchene (30 goals, 51 assists)
Avalanche: Nathan MacKinnon (32 goals, 84 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Pacific Division
Regular-season records:
Golden Knights: 49-22-10, 108 points
Wild: 45-30-7, 97 points
Leading scorers:
Golden Knights: Jack Eichel (27 goals, 66 assists)
Wild: Matt Boldy (27 goals, 46 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
Regular-season records:
Kings: 48-24-9, 105 points
Oilers: 47-29-5, 99 points
Leading scorers:
Kings: Adrian Kempe (35 goals, 38 assists)
Oilers: Leon Draisaitl (52 goals, 54 assists)
Schedule:
Game 1: TBD
Game 2: TBD
Game 3: TBD
Game 4: TBD
Game 5: TBD
Game 6: TBD
Game 7: TBD
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway