Japanese pitcher, Yu Darvish, has been placed on the restricted list as he recovers from right elbow surgery that will prevent him from starting the 2026 season. Despite this, there is no indication that a retirement announcement from this move is imminent. Players placed on such a restricted list are no longer under contractual control of the big league club they play for but no longer required to receive compensation. This move could free up a 40-man roster spot for the Padres, which will be used to add Ty France and Walker Buehler to their roster and potentially reduce payroll space. Despite previous incidents, Darvished has not publicly announced his retirement yet.