Major update on Jackson Merrill, Yu Darvish's injury rehab disclosed by Padres GM 

The San Diego Padres may possess the best record in the majors, but they may not hold that much longer, given injuries to key players such as slugger Jackson Merrill and veteran ace Yu Darvish.

Merrill was placed on the 10-day injured list on April 8 due to a right hamstring strain. Meanwhile, Darvish is dealing with an elbow inflammation in his throwing arm. He was placed on a 15-day IL on March 27 and is not expected to return until at least May.

On Tuesday, Padres GM A.J. Preller appeared on "The Show," hosted by MLB insiders Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman. He opened up on the latest injury updates concerning the two stars.

"So Yu was with the team here this week, and he just started throwing bullpens," Preller said. "So he’s going to start that progression now of building up. From there, he just kind of got on the mound for the first time from a bullpen standpoint. So now, as you guys know, he’ll start facing hitters and then get into some rehab scenarios so he can build his pitch count back up."

(from 34:15 mark onwards)

"And then with Jackson — he was back in San Diego this week. Again, he’s had good progress over the last couple of weeks from the hamstring. But I think, like with any of these tissue issues — and with the hamstring — you don’t want to bring him back too soon. Because then all of a sudden, you look up and it’s two to three months.

"So, you know, I think he continues to progress every day. We’re hoping here in the next week or so we’ll continue to get good reports and can start looking at him getting back on the field," he added.

Jackson Merrill off to a hot start while Yu Darvish yet to pitch in 2025

Jackson Merrill is off to a flyer in 2025, building off his incredible 2024 campaign, which saw him finish runner-up to Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes for the NL Rookie of the Year.

In 2025, he is hitting .378 along with three home runs, one stolen base, three walks and 10 RBIs. Before he went on the injured list, in his last game against the Chicago Cubs, he went 2-for-5, hitting a home run, swiping a bag and contributing two runs.

Meanwhile, Yu Darvish is yet to climb the hill for the Padres this season as he has been on the injured list since the start of the season. The 38-year-old Japanese star made 16 starts last year, posting a 7-3 record while holding a 3.31 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.