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SAN DIEGO (AP) — Yu Darvish returned to the San Diego Padres on Friday, received a warm welcome from his teammates and immediately got to work, although he is unsure when he will return to action.

The 38-year-old right-hander was activated from the restricted list and returned to the 15-day injured list. Darvish was placed on the restricted list on July 6 to address a personal matter related to his family.

Darvish warmed up on the field and then completed a bullpen session.

“The bullpen was very good today, I’m very happy with how things went out there,” Darvish said through an interpreter while sitting in the dugout. “As far as what to do next, I’ll talk to the appropriate people. I’m not sure if it’s going to be a live BP or a rehab assignment, but we’ll get that worked out and move on from there.”

Darvish did not discuss the reason for his departure, saying only that “obviously it was a difficult decision to leave. Sometimes it can get complicated. But it’s still nice to be back on the field, in front of the fans, with the teammates and all that. All in all, it’s a great day.”

He said it was his decision to be placed on the restricted list. “At that time, it was difficult for me to travel and be with the team in that way. Also, I thought it would be wrong to be on the restricted list and draw salary during that time.”

When he was placed on the restricted list, he was on the injured list for the second time this season with a groin strain. He was tentatively scheduled to return to action on June 25 against Washington, but developed elbow inflammation and remained on the injured list.

He has a record of 4-3 with a 3.20 ERA in 11 starts.

The Padres are 22-8 since the All-Star break and entered Friday night’s game against the New York Mets with the second wild-card spot in the NL.

“I’ve watched the games and the team is doing so well. It makes you think twice about whether it’s the right thing to come back,” Darvish says, laughing.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb