Blue Jays Notes: Three-Game Skid, Barger Close to Returning, Berrios Further

The Jays are inching further away from .500 but there is plenty of time to turn things around. They need to cap off this road stretch with a win before heading back to Canada, where hopefully slugging Addison Barger will rejoin the team.

Apr 22, 2026; Anaheim, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement (22) looks on after losing to the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium | William Liang-Imagn Images

Road trips have not been the high point of the Toronto Blue Jays '26 season at this point, and right now they are in the midst of one of those trenches. The team just dropped its third game, the finale against the Minnesota Twins, and a pair to the Tampa Bay Rays.

So, the ballclub is no longer teetering the .500 line; instead, the Blue Jays are looking up to the New York Yankees, who now have a nine-game lead in the division. But that deficit isn't going to be made up in a day. Toronto needs to snap this streak and get back to Rogers Centre, where they might be getting a key player back.

After outfielder Addison Barger's latest rehab assignment, it seems that he could get the nod to rejoin the organization this weekend, as he was able to play five innings out in the field to complement another two at third base.

John Schneider says José Berríos will undergo an MRI tonight on his elbow. Said that the right-hander felt a little more sore than usual after his rehab start Sunday. "Kind of crossing our fingers."

Safe to say Eric Lauer will remain in the rotation for now.

— Brian Murphy (@Spokes_Murphy) May 5, 2026

Barring complications, the Jays are getting a slugger back. Unfortunately, the same will not go for the starting rotation.

Jose Berrios has been sidelined the entirety of this season with a stress fracture in his elbow, and even though it felt like his return was imminent with a pair of Triple-A starts under his belt, the news broke that he would be taking an MRI due to excess pain after his latest rehab outing.

There is no news quite yet regarding Berrios, but all someone can do is hope for the best at this point.

One Loss Was Extra Hard to Swallow

Blue Jays starting pitcher Kevin Gausman (34) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the first inning at Tropicana Field | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Instead of looking at the threat of a sweep by the Rays, this series should be split, as Toronto was in command of this game for the entire stretch. Until the eighth. Simply put, however, it isn't fair to blame a loss on Tyler Rogers, who has been one of the best in the game this year.

The game turned on its head rather quickly with four consecutive hits by the Rays that led to a pair of runners going home. The Blue Jays went from up the entire game to three outs to just stay alive, which they did not.

The Rays have taken the first two games of this series, so even though the Jays won't be headed back to Toronto with a pair of series wins, they can go back to Rogers Centre on a high note with a win in Game 3, which would send them back to Canada with a .500 record this road trip.

That would be a monstrous victory in itself.