(Photo credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)

San Diego Padres staff ace Yu Darvish paused preparation for the upcoming season and might not be available for his first start of the season.

Padres manager Mike Shildt said the issue for Darvish is 'general fatigue.'

The timing of the pause could make the injured list an option for the Padres, who face the Atlanta Braves at home on March 27 to begin the 2025 season.

'He's experiencing some general fatigue,' Shildt said Monday. 'We're just backing him off a little bit. We're re-evaluating his schedule. He's been in a good place, got his four innings, got his pitch count into a good place. Just want to be smart getting into a long season.'

If Darvish is slotted into the back of the rotation to start the season, the Padres would not need a fifth starter until a March 31 home game against the Cleveland Guardians. Darvish was San Diego's Opening Day starter last season when he took the mound in a March 20 game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Seoul, South Korea.

Right-hander Michael King was announced as the Padres' Opening Day starter this season.

Darvish has made two Cactus League starts this spring, going 1-0 with a 4.05 ERA in 6 2/3 innings. He went 2 2/3 innings in a March 8 start against the Guardians, then went four innings in a March 13 outing against the Kansas City Royals, while throwing 54 pitches.

Darvish made just 16 starts in 2024 as he went through elbow soreness, along with hip and neck issues. He was 7-3 with a 3.31 ERA in 81 2/3 innings and was solid in the playoffs when he went 1-1 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts of an eventual series loss to the Dodgers.

In 12 major league seasons, Darvish is 110-88 with a 3.58 ERA in 282 starts for the Texas Rangers (2012-2017), Dodgers (2017), Chicago Cubs (2018-20) and Padres. The five-time All-Star was a runner up in the American League Cy Young Award voting in 2013.

--Field Level Media