The San Diego Padres placed right-hander Yu Darvish on the 15-day injured list Monday due to inflammation in his pitching elbow.
The move is retroactive to Saturday.
Darvish had recently pitched through discomfort, according to manager Bob Melvin. He was removed after 76 pitches during Friday’s 7-3 to the Milwaukee Brewers and his arm didn’t bounce back in the days following the start.
Now Darvish won’t take the mound again until mid-September at the earliest.
“When he’s on (the IL) for 15 days, he’s going to miss at least two starts,” Melvin told reporters prior to Monday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals. “So, not really sure where it’s going to go until we get a lot of information.
“He’s been a guy that’s pitched with stuff before, and he’s been able to take the ball, at least in my tenure here, every single time. It’s late in the year. He’s pitched a lot. Just trying to be a little cautious with him, I think.”
Darvish was winless in five August starts. He struggled mightily while losing his last three turns, allowing 13 runs and 23 hits in 16 innings.
Darvish, who turned 37 on Aug. 16, is just 8-10 with a 4.56 ERA in 24 starts this season. A year ago, he went 16-8 with a 3.10 ERA in 30 starts.
Darvish joins right-hander Joe Musgrove (shoulder) on the injured list. Musgrove, who is 10-3 with a 3.05 ERA in 17 starts, could miss the rest of the season if the club doesn’t soon make up ground in the National League wild-card chase.
Melvin said veteran left-hander Rich Hill will slide into Darvish’s rotation spot. The 43-year-old Hill is 0-3 with a 9.00 ERA in four appearances (three starts) since being acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates at the trade deadline.
San Diego recalled rookie right-hander Matt Waldron from Triple-A El Paso to fill the roster opening. Waldron, 26, is 0-2 with a 6.52 ERA in two starts for the Padres this season.
–Field Level Media