Right-hander Yu Darvish began the season on the Padres' restricted list while he recovers from elbow surgery, which means he won't be getting paid immediately by San Diego.
Darvish was placed on the restricted list instead of the injured list as the Padres got down to the 26-player active limit Wednesday. The 39-year-old Japanese star won't pitch this season after elbow ligament repair surgery late last year, but he also hasn't retired.
Darvish is owed $43 million for the final three seasons of a $108 million, six-year contract: $15 million in 2026 and $14 million each in 2027 and 2028.
The surprising move by Darvish and the Padres could clear budgetary room for San Diego to pursue another player. The Padres still could use another quality starting pitcher as they prepare to begin the regular season at home against Detroit on Thursday, especially with right-hander Joe Musgrove expected to start on the injured list in his return from Tommy John surgery.
Placing a player on the restricted list allows teams to free up a roster spot while retaining the player's rights. Darvish also won't accrue service time while on the restricted list, but he is already fully vested in MLB's pension plan after reaching 13 years, 146 days in the majors.
Darvish is one of Japan's most successful players in major league history, earning five All-Star selections and 115 victories. He has a career 3.65 ERA while pitching 13 seasons stateside for four teams.
Darvish made only 16 starts in 2024 and 15 starts in 2025 for the Padres. He didn't pitch until July last season due to elbow inflammation, and he was pulled from his start in San Diego's final playoff game in the second inning last October.
Two months after his surgery, Darvish denied a report that he had told the Padres of his intention to retire, saying he hadn't made a decision, but was “leaning towards voiding the contract” while saying there was “still a lot that has to be talked over.”
“Right now I am fully focused on my rehab for my elbow, and if I get to a point where I can throw again, I will start from scratch again to compete,” Darvish wrote on social media. “If once I get to that point I feel I can’t do that, I will announce my retirement.”
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FILE - San Diego Padres' Yu Darvish throws during the first inning of Game 3 of a National League wild card baseball game against the Chicago Cubs, Oct. 2, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Huh, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — All but four of the passengers injured in Sunday’s deadly collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck have been released from the hospital, the airline said Wednesday, as crews began moving the mangled aircraft off the runaway at New York's LaGuardia Airport.
The crash, which remains under investigation, killed two pilots. Roughly 40 people were treated at area hospitals for a range of injuries, some serious. Further details on the four people who remained hospitalized were not immediately available.
The plane, which originated in Montreal, was carrying 70 people when it slammed into the fire truck that had driven out onto the runway. Seconds before the collision, an air traffic controller had cleared the truck to cross the runway.
Since Monday, much of the wreckage had remained on the tarmac, blocking access to one of two runways at one of the country's busiest airports.
Just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday, airport workers began towing the remnants away. Two big tow trucks working in tandem also righted the badly damaged fire truck, which had been laying on its side since the crash.
The jet’s tail end was lifted onto a large dolly, which was then towed via long tethers by two vehicles driving side by side. Earlier in the day, much of the wreckage of the nose, which was obliterated in the collision, was cut away by work crews. As it was towed, the middle of the plane was supported by its own landing gear, which appeared to be intact.
In a statement, Air Canada said the plane would be taken to a hangar. The airline said it would soon begin the process of reuniting people with baggage and personal belongings.
After the collision, many onboard managed to escape the damaged aircraft, including a flight attendant who survived after being thrown onto the tarmac while still strapped in her seat.
The two pilots in the crash have been identified as Mackenzie Gunther and Antoine Forest. At least one passenger, Clément Lelièvre, credited their “incredible reflexes” in saving his life and those of others, noting they braked extremely hard just as the plane touched down.
Airplane enthusiast Jean-Francois Lamarche visits a memorial for Air Canada Jazz pilot Antoine Forest, who perished when his plane collided with an emergency vehicle at New York's LaGuardia Airport, in Montreal, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
A man places a white rose on the memorial for Air Canada Jazz pilot Antoine Forest, who perished when his plane collided with an emergency vehicle at New York's LaGuardia Airport, in Montreal, Wednesday, March 25, 2026. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press via AP)
An airport maintenance crew moves the wreckage of an Air Canada Express jet, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, from the runway where it had collided with a Port Authority fire truck Sunday night at LaGuardia Airport, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
The wreckage of Port Authority fire truck is left on a tarmac after the wreckage of an Air Canada Express jet was moved from the runway, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, where they collided Sunday night at LaGuardia Airport, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
An Air Canada Express jet taxis past the wreckage of an Air Canada Express jet, Wednesday, March 25, 2026, as maintenance crews prepare to move the plane from the runway where it had collided with a Port Authority fire truck Sunday night at LaGuardia Airport, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
