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José Berríos underwent full Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on Wednesday, sidelining the longtime Toronto Blue Jays starter well into the 2027 season.
The Blue Jays expected Berrios, who missed the World Series in Toronto last fall with elbow inflammation, would need less invasive surgery to repair a stress fracture and remove loose bodies from his right elbow.
But manager John Schneider said a loose body was found in the ligament, requiring the Tommy John procedure performed by Dr. Keith Meister in Texas.
“It’s like I got an answer,” Schneider said before the Blue Jays faced the New York Yankees. “It sucks for him, it sucks for us. I know he’s going to attack rehab. It’s just that part of the time sucks. Not having him here sucks too.”
Berrios, 31, appeared healthy at the start of spring training. But he opened the season on the disabled list with a stress fracture and posted a 10.67 ERA while showing reduced velocity and battling elbow soreness in four rehab starts.
“When you have something, kids are usually fine if it’s not surgically repaired initially,” Schneider said. “I really didn’t see it coming.”
Berríos and teammate Patrick Corbin are the only pitchers to have made at least 30 starts in each of the last seven full seasons, dating back to 2018. Berríos, in the fifth year of a seven-year contract signed in November 2021, is 53-39 with a 4.09 ERA since being acquired from the Minnesota Twins in July 2021.
“Since we acquired it, it’s been stable, it’s been a part of what we’re doing, and it’s obviously reliable,” Schneider said. “It’s strange not having him. I think we were looking for him to get back to normal a little bit. And he was hoping for that too.”
Berrios’ season-ending surgery is another blow to an injury-hit Toronto rotation. Shane Bieber has yet to start this season due to tightness in his right forearm. Cody Ponce, who signed with the Blue Jays after four seasons in Japan, suffered a season-ending right knee injury in his first start on March 30. Bowden Francis, who made 27 starts the previous two seasons, underwent Tommy John surgery in February.
Veteran Max Scherzer has been limited to five starts with forearm and ankle injuries, while Trey Yesavage, a rookie playoff sensation last year, was scheduled to make his fifth start Wednesday after missing the first month with a right shoulder impingement.
Schneider said Scherzer is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Thursday, while Bieber could begin a rehab stint next week. Bieber would likely need at least four or five starts before becoming an option for the Blue Jays, who entered Wednesday 21-27 and 11 1/2 games behind the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East.
Associated Press report
