San Diego Padres starting pitcher Yu Darvish’s baseball-playing future is up in the air, he revealed on Saturday.

“You may have seen an article, and although I am leaning towards voiding the contract, there’s still a lot that has to be talked over with the Padres so the finer details are yet to be decided,” Darvish wrote.

“Also I will not be announcing my retirement yet. 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. If once I get to that point I feel I can’t do that, I will announce my retirement.”

Darvish’s post came after Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported that the 39-year-old told the Padres that he plans to retire. Darvish has three years and $43 million remaining on his contract.

Darvish’s agent, Joel Wolfe, told Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that a decision has not yet been made, calling it a “complicated matter.”

Darvish starred in Japan for the Nippon Ham Fighters from 2005-2011, earning NPB All-Star honors five times (2007–2011) and winning Pacific League MVP twice.

He then went to the United States to join Major League Baseball with the Texas Rangers.

Darvish, a five-time MLB All-Star, played in 13 seasons (2012-2014, 2016-2025) with the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs and Padres. He went 115-93 with a 3.65 ERA (116 ERA+, 1.14 WHIP) and 10.5 K/9 rate. Darvish finished as the Cy Young runner-up twice (2013, 2020) and led the major leagues with 277 strikeouts in 2013.

This past season was an injury-shortened one for Darvish, who made just 15 starts. Per AJ Cassavell of MLB.com last November, Darvish is out for the 2026 season after undergoing UCL repair surgery with an internal brace on his right elbow.

Darvish struggled in 2025 overall, posting a 5.38 ERA (1.18 WHIP) and allowing 14 home runs in 72 innings. His 8.5 K/9 rate also served as a career-low mark, as was his ERA+ of 80.

Darvish has largely been a good to elite starting pitcher for much of his MLB tenure. Unfortunately, injuries have taken a toll late, to the point where he’s only started 31 games over the past two seasons and won’t make an appearance in 2026.

As far as Darvish’s 2026 status goes, it seems dependent on how his rehab goes and whether he can get to a place where he feels comfortable competing on baseball’s biggest stage.

Time will tell on that front, but if this is it for Darvish, then he can certainly hold his head high after a stellar two-decade career in Japan and the United States.