Yu Darvish's injury hurts Padres' already-thin rotation and makes it more likely Mason Miller starts in 2026
Darvish will miss the entire 2026 MLB season after undergoing elbow surgery
•
2 min read
If the San Diego Padres are going to reach the playoffs next season, thereby giving them three consecutive berths for the first time in franchise history, they're going to have to do it with a new-look rotation in tow. Veteran right-hander Yu Darvish underwent internal brace surgery last week to repair his torn UCL and flexor tendon. As a result, he'll miss the entire 2026 season. He made the announcement on Tuesday.
Add in the impending free agencies of three other Padres starters -- Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Nestor Cortes -- and San Diego is looking at having to replace the pitchers who combined to make 68 of their 162 regular-season starts (42%). Here's a look at what the Padres current rotation looks like:
- RHP Nick Pivetta: Coming off a career year (13-5, 2.87 ERA, 190 K in 181⅔ IP)
- RHP Joe Musgrove: Missed the entire season following Tommy John surgery
- LHP JP Sears: Appeared just five times after coming over in a deadline trade
- RHP Randy Vásquez: Posted a 111 ERA+, but with a 1.50 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 28 outings
- RHP Matt Waldron: Appeared just once and has minimal MLB success to his credit
The Padres also thinned their immediate depth at the deadline, trading Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek to the Kansas City Royals for catcher Freddy Fermin. Bergert and Kolek had combined for 21 starts prior to that move. Add it to the quartet above, and that's 55% of the team's regular-season total.
So, yes, AJ Preller and the Padres are probably going to need to address their rotation -- and they'll have to do it without a ton of great internal options. Lefty Omar Cruz is the only other starter on the 40-player roster, and he walked nearly six batters per nine innings in Triple-A. Double-A right-hander Miguel Mendez finished his season by issuing 17 free passes in 22 innings of work. And so on.
Perhaps the most interesting option the Padres have on hand, then, is right-hander Mason Miller.
Miller, 27, has not started a game since 2023 and was quickly moved to full-time relief to accommodate his power arsenal and lengthy injury history. Preller did not, as part of his end-of-the-year wrap, rule out the possibility of asking Miller to come into next spring as a starter. The Padres haven't officially made a call either way, yet it's something to monitor over the course of the winter.
Of course, the Padres could always look outside the organization for help, too. San Diego's farm system is diminished after years of win-now trades, however, and it's unclear how much payroll flexibility Preller will enjoy. According to Cot's Contracts, San Diego is projected to be around $20 million beneath this past season's mark. If that's the Padres' limit, they'll have to again bargain shop. That worked out fine for them last winter with Pivetta, but the amount of help needed is more broad this go around.
