Blue Jays Scratch Jose Berrios, Revealing Reason he Was Denied Shot at WBC

The Toronto Blue Jays are shutting down one of their key starters after an MRI revealed a new injury to his right elbow.

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

We now know why José Berríos cannot pitch for Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals.

Arden Zwelling of SportsNet, along with other outlets covering the Toronto Blue Jays, reported that Berríos was scratched from his start on Thursday against the Philadelphia Phillies after an MRI revealed there was inflammation in his throwing elbow.

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The MRI was conducted as part of his insurance process to pitch for Puerto Rico in the WBC. Berríos was not cleared to take part in pool play but was placed in the team’s designated pitcher pool, which gives WBC teams the option to change pitchers between pool play and bracket play.

During pool play, Puerto Rico team leadership originally said that Berríos would join the team for bracket play as he had seemingly received clearance to play by insurers. Later that day, team leadership said that Berríos would not be able to pitch. This is clearly the reason why.

What’s Next for José Berríos?

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Jose Berrios. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Berríos told Zwelling and other reporters that he’s not feeling any pain in the elbow and will throw in the coming days. But as with any elbow issue at this stage in spring training, it’s possible that José Berríos begins the season on the injured list.

This is also not related to the injury that brought José Berríos’ regular season to and end last season. That right elbow inflammation put him on the IL on Sept. 25 and caused him to miss the postseason. Controversially, he wasn't with the Blue Jays for parts of the postseason as they made their run to the World Series.

He is still under contract through 2028, a seven-year, $131 million deal he signed as before the 2022 season to remain with the Blue Jays, who traded for him during the 2021 season. He began his career with the Minnesota Twins. He is 108-82 in his nine-year career with a 4.08 ERA.

Toronto has maximum coverage in its starting rotation for the season. Those rotation candidates include two new free agents in Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. Toronto recently lured back Max Scherzer to provide more depth in the rotation. Shane Bieber exercised his option to stay with the Blue Jays. Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage also return, the latter of which is on a slower ramp-up to manage his use as a rookie. Toronto also has Eric Lauer as depth, though he can aslso be a long reliever out of the bullpen.