5-Time All-Star Pitcher The Latest To Hit IL

The big names from the pitching ranks all across major league baseball continue to fall. This time, it's a five-time All-Star who is a key component to any potential success for the San Diego Padres this season. Yu Darvish has gone on the 15-day IL.

Yu Darvish is going on the injured list pic.twitter.com/l4o9ycMhGv

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) April 17, 2024

Thankfully, this time it isn't arm trouble, which is all the rage these days around the sport. Darvish has "neck tightness" and there is currently no timetable given for his potential return to the rotation, though it doesn't sound like it'll be a considerable length of time at this point. 

“It’s an upper neck issue, tightness,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “It’s just a matter of getting some rest and taking a little bit of a blow from it.”

Darvish, 37, has dealt with neck and back issues in the past. Last season, a stress reaction in his elbow shut him down for the season prematurely in mid-September. 

This season, he's 0-1 with a 4.18 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP in five starts, across 23 2/3 innings. He has a 22:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Last year, he went 8-10 with a 4.56 ERA. 

Darvish is a five-time All-Star, most recently in 2021. He's also finished as the runner-up for the Cy Young Award twice. He's currently in the second year of a six-year, $108 million extension that runs through his age-42 season.

Photo: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports