Blue Jays Get Devastating News on José Berríos' Elbow Surgery

The injury bug has been vicious to the Toronto Blue Jays this season, which partially explains the 21-27 record for the reigning American League champions. Every component of the roster has hit the injured list.

Key contributors, including Addison Barger, Alejandro Kirk, Shane Bieber, and Nathan Lukes are all on the shelf. On Wednesday, the Blue Jays received difficult news surrounding starting pitcher José Berríos.

Per Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, manager John Schneider announced that Berrios underwent a full Tommy John surgery. He will miss the remainder of the 2026 season, and likely part of the 2027 campaign.

Impact of the José Berríos Injury

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios walks to the dugout. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Berrios was placed on the 15-day injured list to begin the season with a right elbow stress fracture. He made a couple of appearances during spring training and threw some rehab assignments, but never appeared for the big league team this year.

This is obviously difficult news for Berrios and the Blue Jays. Per SportsNet, Schneider said, "You feel for him, for one, because he's been so durable and he's kinda been very stable and constant with what we're doing here for the last few years."

There was optimism that he would return to the staff at some point this year, so a season-ending injury is a bit surprising. He was originally scheduled for a procedure to remove loose bodies in his elbow, but it was determined that Tommy John surgery was needed.

The pitching staff is already ravaged with injuries, so this is a costly setback. Cody Ponce and Shane Bieber are both on the 60-day injured list, and Max Scherzer has been out since late April with right forearm tendinitis and left ankle inflammation. Not to mention relievers Joe Mantiply, Yimi Garcia, and Tommy Nance are also banged up.

Who Will Step Up in the Blue Jays' Starting Rotation?

Dylan Cease and Kevin Gausman have remained the consistent arms in the rotation. Thankfully, Trey Yesavage has had a smooth recovery from a right shoulder impingement and has been excellent in his starts. Patrick Corbin comes next, and now Toronto could be leaning more on Rule 5 draft pick Spencer Miles to be a potential starter until Scherzer returns.

Berrios is in the middle of a seven-year, $131 million contract with a player opt-out in 2027. Assuming he opts in, he wouldn't become an unrestricted free agent until 2029 at age 35. Now, Toronto must pivot without Berrios' help this year and hope that reinforcements can arrive soon.

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