Blue Jays pitcher, 31, undergoes Tommy John surgery

Jose Berríos’ 2026 season is over. His 2027 season is in doubt, too

Berríos underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow, Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters May 20. The announcement was not entirely unexpected.

Berríos hasn’t pitched this season because of an injury to his elbow, previously reported as a stress fracture. Earlier this week the Jays revealed they weren’t sure exactly what surgery Dr. Keith Meister would perform, depending on the damage to the UCL in Berríos’ elbow.

Once the other shoe dropped, the Blue Jays knew they could make plans for the rest of the season without one of their better starting pitchers.

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Berríos, 31, is 108-82 with a 4.08 ERA (105 ERA+) in 10 MLB seasons. He went 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 31 games (30 starts) during the 2025 season for Toronto.

Berríos did not pitch in the postseason as the Blue Jays advanced all the way to the 2025 World Series, ultimately losing in a seven-game thriller to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

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Durability had been Berríos’ strong suit to this point in his career. He had never made fewer than 25 starts in a non-pandemic season since his rookie year of 2016, when he made 14 starts for the Minnesota Twins.

Berríos can opt out of the contract he originally signed with the Blue Jays in November 2021 after this season. Now, it appears certain he’ll stay put through the end of the 2028 season, when the seven-year, $131 million pact expires.

The Blue Jays will be on the hook for his full salary — $18 million this year, $24 million the next two seasons.

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Through May 19, the Blue Jays are 21-27, tied for third in the AL East with the Boston Red Sox. It’s a disappointing start by any measure — yet Toronto is only two games out of the third Wild Card berth in a weak American League.

Injuries to Berríos, Max Scherzer and Cody Ponce have made the back end of the rotation difficult to solve in Toronto. Berríos’ bad news only increases the likelihood of a trade coming down before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.