Blue Jays José Berrios Elbow Concern Just Got More Serious

The Toronto Blue Jays have had a rough few weeks, and their rotation situation just got a little harder to look at. Spring training is winding down, Opening Day is two weeks away, and one of their starters is heading to a specialist's office in Texas instead of a mound.

Per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson on X, manager John Schneider confirmed that José Berrios will visit Dr. Keith Meister for an in-person evaluation. Meister has already reviewed the MRI remotely, but the Blue Jays want more information before deciding what comes next. Berrios will not throw until after that visit.

José Berrios (elbow inflammation) will visit Dr. Meister on Tuesday, John Schneider says.

Meister has viewed the MRI. This will be for an in-person evaluation. #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 13, 2026

This whole thing started as a paperwork problem. Berrios was trying to get insurance clearance to pitch for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals. When that MRI flagged something in his right elbow, the Blue Jays ran their own scan.

That one showed what Schneider called different inflammation from the issue that sent Berrios to the injured list for the first time in his career back in September.

Berrios himself has been pretty calm about it. He told reporters he feels great and called the inflammation "strange" to hear about because nothing physically feels off to him. That is either genuinely encouraging or a reminder that pitchers are not always the best judges of what is happening inside their own arms.

Blue Jays Rotation Depth Is Already Being Tested Before Opening Day

The Blue Jays enter 2026 as defending AL champions, and their rotation was supposed to be one of their strengths. Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease headline the group, but behind them, things are getting messy fast.

Bieber starts the year on the IL with a forearm issue, Bowden Francis is out for the season after Tommy John surgery, and now Berrios is heading to a specialist with Opening Day on March 27.

Berrios is 31, on a seven-year, $131 million deal, and has been one of the most reliable arms in Toronto for years. Last season, things slipped. He went 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA, lost his rotation spot late, and hit the IL for the first time in his career. Two elbow flare-ups in six months on a pitcher with that much mileage is something you cannot just wave away.

Trey Yesavage is expected to pitch abbreviated outings early in the season as the Blue Jays carefully manage his workload, and Max Scherzer is 41. The depth behind the top two starters is thin, and the Blue Jays need Berrios healthy if they want to compete the way they did in 2025.

Meister's evaluation will give the Blue Jays a real answer, one way or the other. If it is clean, Berrios gets back on a mound and tries to salvage his build-up before March 27. If it is not, Toronto has a rotation problem on its hands before the season even starts.