PEORIA, Ariz. — The start of Yu Darvish’s season is in doubt, as it was revealed Tuesday he was shut down due to elbow inflammation.

At best, it seems Darvish’s first start would come at the back end of the rotation. The calendar and the Padres’ stated desire to preserve the 38-year-old right-hander so he can help them later in the season indicate his absence could be longer.

Darvish played catch Tuesday, though only lightly and at about 60 feet for five minutes.

“We’ll see how he recovers from it, give him a couple more days,” Padres manager Mike Shildt said. “We don’t know what it is exactly, but he did have some elbow tightness.”

Darvish would have to be able pitch off a mound by this weekend, so he could potentially start in a minor league game here midweek in order to be available to start the season’s fifth game on March 31.

The only reason to think that could be possible is that the Padres haven’t ruled it out.

“He got through playing catch, which was a good sign, and we’ll take it day to day,” Shildt said. “… It’s possible that it could affect the beginning of the season. Not saying it’s definite, but it’s definitely possible.”

Darvish threw 54 pitches over four innings in a Cactus League game Thursday. He played catch Friday but had his bullpen scheduled for Sunday canceled. The Padres initially attributed the shutdown to general fatigue.

Moving forward without Darvish at the start of the season would mean there are two spots available in the rotation rather than one.

The three remaining competitors are Randy Vásquez, Stephen Kolek and left-hander Kyle Hart. Kolek, a reliever in 2023 in Triple-A and last season for the Padres, has had an excellent spring. Hart, who excelled in Korea last season and signed with the Padres on Feb. 13, was slowed in camp by the flu but has impressed many in the organization. Vásquez, who posted a 4.87 ERA in 20 starts for the Padres last season, is coming off five scoreless innings in a Triple-A game.

“We do have good options,” Shildt said. “That part is good.”

Another potential starter, Matt Waldron, is not expected to begin throwing for at least another week after he was shut down Friday with a left oblique strain. The initial assessment of it being mild has evidently played out.

“There is still going to be some downtime,” Shildt said. “But overall, big picture, as good as it could have been. We’re still a week away from just making sure it’s healed. … It’s sooner than we anticipated, but we don’t have a firm date.”

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