Jose Berrios will undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair a stress fracture in his right elbow, as Blue Jays manager John Schneider told Sportsnet’s Hazel Mae and other reporters. Dr. Keith Meister will perform the procedure, and it is possible the surgery could be more complicated since “there is some concern about [Berrios’] ligament,” Mae writes. A recovery timeline (or whether or not Berrios will pitch at all in 2026) therefore won’t be known until the surgery is complete, and a further assessment is made for any ligament damage.
Surgery is perhaps the natural endpoint to what has been an injury-marred nine months for a pitcher once known for his durability. Right elbow inflammation sent Berrios to the 15-day injured list at the end of the 2025 season and kept him from participating in the Blue Jays’ postseason run. As he prepared to pitch for Puerto Rico in this spring’s World Baseball Classic, tests revealed more inflammation and then a stress fracture in Berrios’ right elbow.
Toronto placed Berrios on the 15-day IL to begin the season, and he appeared to be on track before more elbow discomfort arose during his minor league rehab assignment. Berrios had an MRI and a previous visit with Dr. Meister last week, and Schneider told reporters yesterday that surgery was now a possibility, as Berrios could be dealing with loose bodies in his elbow area.
It is possible that Berrios’ 2026 season could be over even if he is “only” dealing with loose bodies and the initial stress fracture, given how the recovery timeline for such procedures can vary greatly. A best-case scenario probably has Berrios making his 2026 debut after the All-Star break, though anywhere from mid-July to mid-August is a realistic window.
If ligament damage is found, the question then becomes how much of Berrios’ 2027 season could be in jeopardy. An internal brace procedure would put the right-hander in line to return by May or June of next season. A full Tommy John surgery would require 13-15 months on the shelf, so any sort of setback within that rehab process could threaten Berrios’ ability to return before the 2027 season is out.
Turning first to contractual matters, Berrios has an opt-out clause in his contract that can be triggered this offseason, allowing him to walk away from the final two years and $48MM remaining on his seven-year, $131MM extension. It already didn’t seem likely that Berrios would exercise that opt-out, and the fact that he’ll now miss most or even all of the 2026 campaign means that he’ll remain with the Jays beyond the season.
In the shorter term, Berrios’ continued absence (even for 2-3 more months) is more bad news for a Toronto rotation that has already been drastically thinned. Shane Bieber is throwing to live batters but has yet to begin a minor league rehab assignment, and Max Scherzer has started throwing in the first steps of his recovery from forearm tendinitis.
These two veterans are probably a month away at best, but that still puts them ahead of several other Blue Jays pitchers. Cody Ponce‘s season has been ended by a torn ACL, depth starter Bowden Francis‘ season is also over due to a Tommy John surgery, and swingman Lazaro Estrada has missed about a month due to a shoulder impingement. Eric Lauer didn’t suffer a traditional injury but was hampered by a bad case of the flu, and he pitched so poorly that the Jays designated Lauer for assignment.
Kevin Gausman and Dylan Cease have been the only stable members of the rotation, and Trey Yesavage only recently returned from a shoulder impingement of his own. Patrick Corbin was signed to a one-year, $1MM contract in early April and he has a respectable 3.93 ERA while covering seven starts and 34 1/3 innings. To find a fifth starter, the Jays may have to look outside the organization for at least another Corbin-esque addition, or dig further into their depth chart to either minor league signings (i.e. Josh Fleming) or pitchers with little to no MLB experience.
Rule 5 Draft pick Spencer Miles has pitched well in a relief role, and the Jays may be leaning towards stretching Miles out as a de facto fifth starter, even if Miles might work behind an opener or be used in a piggyback capacity. Miles is pitching today behind opener Mason Fluharty.
On the bullpen front, Adam Macko is in Detroit today as a member of the Jays’ taxi squad, Schneider told Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith and other media that Macko may be activated depending on the status of other relievers who aren’t 100 percent, so Macko could join the 26-man roster tomorrow as a fresh arm. Macko will be making his MLB debut whenever he appears in his first game for Toronto.
