Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jose Berrios will be sidelined for at least another year following Tommy John surgery performed on Wednesday.
The procedure was carried out by Dr. Keith Meister in Texas, with initial expectations that only minor removal of “loose bodies” from the elbow would be necessary. Instead, doctors determined that complete elbow ligament reconstruction was needed.
“The bone in the elbow was on the ligament. Not ideal,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “We kind of decided that, when they go in there, if that’s compromised at all, we’ll fix it. It was. He’ll be down for 12 to 14 months.”
The right-handed pitcher has spent the entire season on the injured list while attempting to recover from the elbow problem that also prevented him from participating in the team’s playoff run last fall. During the past month, he completed four minor league rehabilitation outings, posting a 0-1 record with a 10.67 ERA across Class-A and Triple-A levels. His most recent appearance for Triple-A Buffalo showed diminished fastball speed compared to his typical velocity.
The 31-year-old has been a cornerstone of Toronto’s starting rotation ever since the Blue Jays obtained him from the Minnesota Twins through a July 2021 trade. Over the previous five seasons, he consistently made 30 or more starts each year, although he was temporarily shifted to relief duties last September before being placed on the injured list.
“It’s weird not having him,” Schneider said. “We were looking for him to get back to normal, and he was hoping for that, too. It’s definitely weird and frustrating for him, too.”
During the previous season, Berrios compiled a 9-5 record with a 4.17 ERA across 31 appearances, including 30 starts.
The two-time All-Star has accumulated a career record of 108-82 with a 4.08 ERA over 275 games, making 273 starts between his time with Minnesota (2016-21) and Toronto (2021-25).
Berrios still has two years and $48 million left on the seven-year, $131 million contract extension he signed with the Blue Jays in November 2021.
