Should the Padres be surprised Yu Darvish has an elbow problem?

When the Padres gave Yu Darvish a 6-year, $108 million extension that would take him through his age 41 season, they had to know this was coming. It’s not Tommy John yet but what they know is coming is an IL stint to start the season due to elbow inflammation.

Yu Darvish is expected to open the season on the injured list. Kyle Hart, Stephen Kolek and Randy Vásquez are competing for two Opening Day rotation spots. One of those three will start the season in Triple-A El Paso's rotation.

— Dennis Lin (@dennistlin) March 21, 2025 Fatigue. Inflammation. Elbow tightness.

Those aren’t words anyone wants to be linked to any Padre—let alone Darvish. But the reality is he’s 38 and he has 1,706 innings…