Despite Yu Darvish's advanced age, ex-Padres star shares why his return will boost Manny Machado and Co.'s postseason hopes

Coming to the United States after a hugely successful NPB career, Japanese ace Yu Darvish has been extremely solid at the major league level. However, his time with the San Diego Padres has been full of hiccups, with injuries often playing spoilsport.

This year has unfortunately been no different, with Darvish having to spend the first three months or so of the 2025 season on the sidelines after he suffered from elbow inflammation just before Opening Day.

Despite being in the latter stages of his career at 38 years old, Yu Darvish still has plenty of quality to offer, and may significantly improve the Padres' fortunes once he's back in action, according to insider Kyle Glaser.

"Yu Darvish, even though he's in his late 30s, even though he's maybe not as durable as he once was, this is still a pitcher that, when he's on the mound, is capable of pitching like an ace," Glaser said [1:27], via 'Friar Territory' on Monday.

"We saw that last year, he missed a lot of time, still came back and was one of the Padres' best pitchers, especially down the stretch, pitched very well in the postseason. So, when he's on the mound, he's certainly capable of pitching like an ace."

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Padres skipper Mike Schildt confirms Yu Darvish will return against the Diamondbacks on Monday

This past weekend, San Diego Padres skipper Mike Schildt confirmed Yu Darvish was set to make his much-anticipated return to action. Darvish last pitched at big league level in the Padres' postseason clash against bitter rivals the Los Angeles Dodgers in October of 2024.

Speaking to the press on Sunday, Schildt confirmed Darvish was good to go for the upcoming home series opener against the D-backs.

"[Yu] Darvish is going to start for us tomorrow," Mike Schildt said.

Further, Schildt explained the meticulous process he and the coaching staff had employed to ensure Yu Darvish was in fact fully fit to get back on the mound.

"It really just comes down from a physical standpoint point you know... We're excited to have that happen... It really did get back to him checking all the boxes -- simulated games, recovering, bullpens ... being able to hold velocity," Schildt added.

With the Padres fighting tooth and nail to keep themselves within the top three in the NL wildcard standings, fans will hope the returning Darvish can help his team to a crucial win on Monday.