Monday, in his 2025 debut, the broad-shouldered, fifth-year Padre showed enough fastball to shorten reaction times and play up his other pitches. The best age-and-workload comparison to Darvish is Clayton Kershaw, his friend and former Dodgers teammate.

San Diego Padres right-hander Yu Darvish made his season debut on Monday against the Arizona Diamondbacks (GameTracker). Darvish, 38, had been sidelined by right elbow inflammation. It was hardly a vintage Darvish outing,

The Padres missed Yu. They’ve mostly persevered this season, as their rotation has been hit hard by injuries. But were they ever thrilled to welcome Yu Darvish back into the fold Monday night, after he missed the first three-plus months of the season with right elbow inflammation.