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San Diego Padres news: Grading A.J. Preller, Yu Darvish update

When will Yu Darvish return to the mound? Is A.J. Preller passing or failing this season? We answer these questions in today's news roundup.

By Kevin Henry|
San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish
San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish | Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Happy Monday, San Diego Padres fans! With the Fourth of July just around the corner and the Padres opening a series tonight at Petco Park against the Los Angeles Angels, let's dive into some news and notes on the Friars.

San Diego Padres: What's going on with Yu Darvish?

According to reports, the Padres will not have Darvish available until the final series before the All-Star break, when the New York Mets come to San Diego for a three-game set.

The 36-year-old right-hander has been suffering with "flu symptoms," according to Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune and those symptoms are keeping him from being able to take the mound. Padres fans were hoping that Darvish could return for a potential July 4 pitching matchup against fellow Japanese icon Shohei Ohtani. However, it doesn't seem like that will be a possibility.

Darvish last started on June 21, and his absence could reportedly force the Padres into another start on Wednesday for Matt Waldron, who gave four hits and two runs in 4.2 innings in his MLB debut on June 24 against the Washington Nationals.

San Diego Padres: Grading A.J. Preller at the midway point of the season

Padres fans know that the team hasn't performed up to expectations in the first half of 2023, but how much of that should fall on Preller and the front office?

Our sister publication, Call to the Pen, did a deep dive into the moves made by Preller and the Padres this offseason and how well they have (or have not) worked out for the team. You can find all of the information and data here, as well what grades Preller earned in each of five different categories.

While we're not going to play spoiler and tell you the grades here, we will give you a hint that the grades could actually be higher than you're expecting (including an overall B grade). Why? Well, let's just say some of the players no longer on the Padres helped boost the scores immensely. We'll let you read the rest and see what you think of the numbers and grades.

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