U.S. and Japan in Turmoil Over "Return? Retirement? We Don't Know" — Manager's Comments on 40-Year-Old Darvish's Future Spark Waves

*This content was translated by AI.

The baseball worlds of the United States and Japan are engulfed in a fierce controversy over the future of "the legend at 40," Yu Darvish (40, San Diego Padres), who has been quietly shedding sweat to return to the major league mound. While the player himself released bullpen pitching videos to confirm his smooth rehabilitation, an unexpected mention of "retirement" from his team's manager has ignited the storm.

The controversy began with an interview by Craig Stammen (42), manager of the San Diego Padres. According to a report by USA Today on the 1st (Korean time), Manager Stammen told the local radio station "97.3 The Fan" that Darvish is currently undergoing normal Tommy John surgery rehabilitation and that resuming bullpen work is encouraging.

However, his subsequent remarks shook the baseball world. Stammen continued, "Darvish does not yet know for certain whether he truly wants to return, retire, or what his next role within the organization should be. We are giving him sufficient time and space, and the final decision rests with him. He will make the choice he desires at the time he desires."

USA Today interpreted this as "Darvish is considering retirement." This marks the first time a manager has publicly raised the option of retirement for a veteran pitcher who underwent right elbow surgery in October 2025 and missed the entire season.

Yet, the timing was particularly peculiar because Darvish himself had already shared videos on his SNS on August 27 showing him shedding sweat to return to the mound. In a second bullpen session filmed at Petco Park, he stated, "I recently turned 40. Thank you to everyone who congratulated me." He added, "Thanks to the team and staff who supported me even though I couldn't travel with them, I was able to resume pitching on the mound. This is my second bullpen session, and so far it has gone very smoothly," directly confirming his steady progress toward return. It was in this context that the manager used the word "retirement."

Darvish still has a remaining contract with San Diego worth at least $30 million (approximately 41.2 billion won) for two years after this season. As a living legend with 115 wins and 2,075 strikeouts in 297 games (all starts) over 15 major league seasons, his future has become the top concern for media outlets in both Japan and the United States.

U.S. outlet "Al Bat" highlighted his symbolic significance, stating, "If he retires, it will be a huge shock to all of Major League Baseball." Japanese media are also busy trying to decipher the manager's true intentions. Tokyo Sports reported, "The manager's comments on Darvish's future have sparked controversy."

According to Tokyo Sports, Darvish's agent Joel Wolf stated only that he has not yet made a final decision and is still carefully reviewing various circumstances.

While the player continues to silently throw the ball of resurrection on the mound, the manager's unexpected remarks have become the spark, and the controversy surrounding the 40th-year-old legend's future in both U.S. and Japanese baseball is expected to persist for some time without easily subsiding.

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*This content was translated by AI.