It seems like age is merely a number for the seasoned pitcher as Darvish entered his 20th professional season, displaying his mettle and resilience ahead of the 2025 season. While there have been a lot of speculations surrounding Yu Darvish’s retirement, his impressive performance in spring training indicates that he’s not done yet. 

Yu Darvish, often praised for his talent in his early career, was battling injuries in the last two seasons where he had a stress reaction on his elbow along with problems in his neck and groin area. But Darvish has managed to maintain his competitiveness in his late 30s as well, following a good training regimen and proper diet, which kept him healthy and active. So, how effectively has he battled with the concerns facing?

Well, Yu Darvish, now 38 years of age, pitched quite effectively during the Cactus League game against Cleveland on March 8. Darvish allowed only two runs on the four hits and one walk, while even striking out three players. While he moved seamlessly across the second inning, he struggled a bit in the third inning, as a result of which, his performance dipped a bit.

However, despite his not-so-good performance, the San Diego Padres seemed quite pleased with his intent, as manager Mike Shildt said, “You can always tell this guy goes out early, and you see how he goes about his business. You get there, walk on the field at 1 o’clock, and there’s Yu Darvish doing some work before everyone else.” And Shildt’s words are true, given that Darvish has stayed quite healthy despite aging, making heads turn around, which is quite uncommon among the late-30 players.

Revealing his secret, Darvish said, “One thing is diet, being cognizant of what you’re putting in your body. Obviously, the sleep — you have to get a good night’s sleep. Also, I think it’s about the training. What is it that your body needs on a given day and go about it. I’ve always done those things, but I think I’m a little bit more careful with it now. Just a little bit more detail-oriented.”

Yu Darvish ended his 2023 season after posting a 4.56 ERA in his 24 starts due to the elbow injury. And what then? He missed most of the season, leaving out injured afterwards. So, it’s been a difficult past couple of years for the 38-year-old; however, Darvish, entering his 13th in the Majors and fifth as a Padres’ member, has shown good signs, indicating that it is all about maintaining good health and not thinking about how older one gets.

However, he stresses on the dietary intake, putting the body to good rest, and training hard, which has kept him active even at this age. Guess it’s true.

The Padres have not given up on their star pitcher yet 

While the San Diego Padres star has stressed on his eating habits, getting enough sleep, and training hard to remain active during the late 30s, Darvish also managed to deal 2 2/3 innings of the two-run ball during the spring training, which led the Padres to acquire a 7-2 win against the Guardians. Although Yu Darvish’s performance was mediocre, the Padres haven’t lost hope, as they are ready to give him more time to gain his full potential. Darvish though stated, “It’s been an eventful spring training the last couple of years. But just to be able to settle down in Arizona for the whole spring and be able to get ready for the season, I think that’s very good for me.”

So, the Padres are in a hurry and want to ensure that Darvish remains healthy, as he will be the one to anchor the rotation perfectly in the upcoming major league games. Mike Shildt has heaped praise on his hard work and commitment, citing how he’s clear in his mind and has stuck to his plan, so things are shaping quite nicely, isn’t it? Definitely, but it’s also true that the Padres will expect Darvish to go beyond that average of 93.9 mph from last year and make his presence count as the number three starter the current season.

What, according to you, might be the reason behind Yu Darvish staying fit and healthy even at this age? Let out your thoughts in the form of comments below.