More Bad News Comes for Blue Jays Starting Rotation as Berrios Undergoes MRI

It is straight out of a horror film, the things that the Blue Jays' pitching staff, specifically the starting rotation, have been dealing with. They are as short-staffed as possible, and that is not likely to end anytime soon.

Sep 16, 2025; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios (17) walks to the dugout after he pitched the fourth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at George M. Steinbrenner Field. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

Looking at the Toronto Blue Jays under .500 record isn't what fans want to see at this point in the year, but that does not even tell a fraction of the story, as there is much more going on behind the scenes for this ballclub.

The roster has been absolutely dismantled by injuries across the board, and if there is one area that cannot afford any more bad news, it is the starting rotation, but here they are.

Righty Jose Berrios has not thrown a pitch yet this year, as he has been dealing with a stress fracture in his elbow in a less-than-ideal situation. His last two Triple-A starts have not gone his way, and after his latest on May 3, Berrios was feeling more sore than normal.

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

Since Berrios is dealing with a pretty serius injury anyway, they have decided that he will undergo an MRI tonight.

Manager John Schneider spoke on it, stating that they are just crossing their fingers at this point. This is not the place that anybody in the organization was hoping that Berrios would be in the first week of May.

The rotation has now included a familiar face, Eric Laue,r in the absence of Berrios, Cody Ponce, and Shane Bieber (amongst others). With this update, Lauer will be staying put,t which keeps depth an issue in the bullpen, but a problem for another time.

Brutal Injuries For Starting Rotation

Blue Jays pitcher Shane Bieber (57) reacts in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

While Yesavage is no longer a member of the dreaded injured list, he didn't make his first start until a mere week ago, and he is still on a strict pitch count, so the team hasn't reaped the benefits of the rising ace entirely just yet.

• Trey Yesavage
• Jose Berrios
• Max Scherzer
• Shane Bieber
• Cody Ponce (likely done for 2026)
• Bowden Francis (done for the season)

The other issue hinted above with Lauer leaving the pen is how well he did as a reliever which leaves a hole, as well as the dreaded idea as to what comes if another injury happens- this time to the relief staff.

At this point, it is quite impressive that the Jays have kept themselves out of a hole that they can't dig out of. Had they been firing on all cylinders, it would be an entirely different story. For now, the team has to keep grinding until answers come about.

Berrios's imaging won't give the team an immediate plan as to what is to come, but we will all surely know a lot more in the hours to come.