Unsettling injury to Padres' ace will open up another spot in the starting rotation

Even though this felt somewhat inevitable, Yu Darvish's injury is still a gut punch for Padres fans. The right-handed veteran had been dealing with some elbow inflammation, which is never great news for any pitcher, especially one who is 38 years old.

With Matt Waldron already hurt, there was one spot left among three pitchers to snag the fifth spot in the starting rotation. However, with Darvish now getting shelved and hitting the injured list, it looks like Kyle Hart, Stephen Kolek, and Randy Vásquez will make up the last two spots in the rotation to begin the season.

Yu Darvish's untimely elbow injury will open up another spot in the starting rotation

It's never ideal for a reliable pitcher to get hurt, but now, it feels like the injuries among the staff are beginning to stockpile. Waldron's injury isn't as devastating as Darvish's, who has been the Opening Day starter three times for San Diego.

Darvish landed on the injured list twice last season with neck tightness and a left groin strain, and now the hits keep on coming. With the rotation still looking strong with Michael King, Dylan Cease, and Nick Pivetta, the last two vacancies will have big shoes to fill. Hopefully these guys can still hold it down while Darvish recovers, but fans will turn to the aforementioned three pitchers to carry the load.

Kolek has performed the best among himself, Hart, and Vásquez, so it feels safe to say he will get some starts under his belt with the Friars. Vásquez has gotten hit aplenty this spring, allowing 12 hits in four innings. Hart hasn't pitched very much this month, but his latest outing hints at him moving in the right direction after striking out three batters in three innings.

San Diego cannot afford many hiccups, regardless of what time of year it is. Games in April wind up mattering more than initially thought, so whoever takes Darvish's spot has to pitch well in his absence. It isn't time to hit the panic button yet on the 2025 season, but Darvish going down already for a brief time doesn't settle anyone's nerves.