Blue Jays Get Wave of Injury Updates Before Important Road Stretch
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To say the Toronto Blue Jays have had to deal with injuries this season would be a false representation of the team's hellacious experience with the dreaded injured list. No aspect of the roster has been safe, and that is the biggest reason this team sits a few games below .500.
Right now, the current IL is lengthy to say the least.
*Note* All of the updates below are straight from the team's official MLB website as of Friday.
- Right-Handed Pitcher José Berríos (elbow stress fracture): IL Date- 3/25
- Right-Handed Pitcher Yimi García (UCL surgery recovery from '25): IL Date- 3/25
- Catcher Alejandro Kirk (left thumb fracture: IL Date- 4/4
- Outfielder/Infielder Addison Barger (right elbow inflammation): IL Date- 5/11
- Right-Handed Pitcher Max Scherzer (right forearm tendinitis & left ankle inflammation) IL Date- 4/27
- Right-Handed Pitcher Shane Bieber (right elbow inflammation): IL Date- 3/25
- Outfielder Nathan Lukes (left hamstring strain): IL Date- 4/25
- Right-Handed Pitcher Lazaro Estrada (right shoulder impingement): IL Date- 4/5
- Right-Handed Pitcher Cody Ponce (ACL surgery): IL Date- 3/31 (likely done for season)
- Outfielder Anthony Santander (left shoulder labral surgery): IL Date- 3/25
- Right-Handed Pitcher Bowden Francis (UCL surgery): IL Date 2/28 (done for season)
Now, not everybody is trending in the right direction, as starting pitcher Jose Berrios has surgery on the table, which wasn't publicly speculated about when his injury first occurred, but others are inching oh-so-close to returning to the roster.
Kirk Right On Track and Partnering Up With Bieber's Therapy
It was almost six weeks ago that Kirk underwent surgery on his thumb, which was far from the best timing with the season just barely kicking off, but he has been chugging along with his rehab and has now progressed to everything except live hitting.
The next step in his journey will be catching for Shane Bieber during his live bullpen session, which should be Saturday, as he continues to build up his pitch count. Bieber has missed the entire season, so seeing him inching closer is definitely a positive.
Other Promising Updates
The pitching staff is begging for somebody to return to the team, and Max Scherzer might be getting there. Scherzer is dealing with issues in both his arm and ankle, but the training staff decided on cortisone shots for both. He has now resumed throwing.
Shane Bieber sighting 👀
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 6, 2026
He threw a 2-up bullpen this morning at Tropicana Field ⚾️
📺: Blue Jays Central LIVE on Sportsnet pic.twitter.com/Tdco58loNc
Yimi García underwent surgery in 2025, but is finally back on the path that will bring him back to the team. He is expected to throw one more bullpen before his inevitable rehab assignment. If all goes well, he could rejoin the roster by early June.
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Maddy Dickens resides in Loveland, Colorado. She grew up with two older brothers, where their lives revolved around sports. She earned a master's degree in business management from Tarleton State University while simultaneously playing basketball and competing in rodeo at the collegiate level. She successfully parlayed a reserve national championship into a professional rodeo career and now stays involved in upper-level athletics by writing for On SI on several different MLB teams' pages, along with some NCAA sites.