In an offseason filled with starting pitcher injuries, the Toronto Blue Jays‘ roster is losing another arm after Jose Berrios was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow, knocking him out for an Opening Day matchup against the Athletics on Friday, March 27.
Manager John Schneider shared the Berrios injury update with reporters, including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, on Wednesday, March 18. The skipper added that Berrios is pain-free and could potentially pitch through the injury. He won’t be ready to begin the regular season, though.
Berrios remains symptom-free and the plan is to resume throwing after a few days off. He won’t be ready for beginning of the season
The Blue Jays have built up plenty of pitching depth on the roster, but the group will be tested early in the season. Bowden Francis is done for the year following Tommy John surgery. Shane Bieber is working through a forearm issue. Trey Yesavage is progressing slowly through the spring.
Toronto Blue Jays Roster Update: Jose Berrios to Miss Opening Day with Elbow Fracture
The arm issue popped up for Berrios last week, when he was denied insurance coverage to pitch in the World Baseball Classic. The veteran righty was set to join Team Puerto Rico in the quarterfinals. It was initially reported that Berrios had received clearance to participate in the tournament, but elbow inflammation led to his being barred from the tournament. Team Italy dispatched Puerto Rico in the first round following pool play.
Berrios won’t throw between now and then
Berrios was shut down from throwing after the inflammation discovery. He then hit up Dr. Keith Meister for an in-person visit. Berrios maintained during the whole saga that he wasn’t feeling pain, but the mention of Meister always raises eyebrows. The diagnosis from Meister is consistent with the right-hander’s statements about the situation. It sounds scary, but it’s ultimately a decent outcome, considering the typical results following a Meister visit are much more serious.
After several seasons of excellent health, Berrios has now been banged up the past two years. He hit the IL late in the 2025 campaign with elbow inflammation. Berrios did not make the postseason roster as the Blue Jays marched to the AL pennant. Even with the injury, Berrios reached 30 starts for the fifth consecutive season. He’s been remarkably durable in four-and-a-half years with Toronto.
Blue Jays’ Roster in Need of Innings With Berrios Sidelined
The Blue Jays were active in free agency this winter, making big splashes with a seven-year, $210 million deal to Dylan Cease and a four-year, $60 million agreement with Kazuma Okamoto. The club also added Cody Ponce on a three-year, $30 million pact. The biggest addition of the offseason might be the most recent one. Toronto re-upped with veteran Max Scherzer on an incentive-laden one-year, $3 million contract. The righty posted a 5.19 ERA in 17 appearances with the Blue Jays last year.
Scherzer has gone from rotation depth to a critical member of the pitching staff as the offseason has progressed toward Opening Day. He’s at worst the No. 4 starter behind Kevin Gausman, Cease, and Ponce. Yesavage has yet to appear in a Spring Training game, which likely pushes him to fifth in the rotation. Scherzer has tossed 8.2 scoreless innings through two spring outings.
Blue Jays Roster Dealt Another Injury Blow to Starting Rotation