The Toronto Blue Jays were officially hit with another pitching injury on Wednesday, as veteran right-hander Jose Berrios was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow.

That diagnosis comes after a visit with noted orthopedist Dr. Keith Meister. On the positive side of things, there's nothing that will require season-ending surgery. On the negative side of things, it's another issue for a Jays pitching staff that has aleady had its fair share of issues.

Starting pitcher Bowden Francis is out for the season with Tommy John surgery and Shane Bieber is battling forearm fatigue that will keep him out at the start of the season.

Per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet on social media:

Following his meeting with Dr. Keith Meister, Jose Berrios has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow

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

Now 31 years old, Berrios is a 10-year veteran of the Minnesota Twins and Blue Jays. A two-time All-Star, he's 108-82 lifetime with a 4.08 ERA.

After a solid season in 2024, he regressed in 2025, going 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA. His ERA was better than his FIP (4.65), suggesting that some regression to the mean is possible, which is bad news for him and the organization as everyone looks forward to 2026. He only struck out 138 batters in 166.0 innings.

Ironically, Berrios has been remarkably healthy for the entirety of his career, making 30 starts or more in each of the last seven full seasons. He also made a full 12-start slate in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. He ended last season on the injured list and missed the team's playoff run. That caused him to get denied insurance for the World Baseball Classic, where he had wanted to play for Puerto Rico.

He has pitched at spring training for the Jays without real issue. He's tossed 10.2 innings over three outings. He's posted a 3.38 ERA, striking out seven batters and walking four.

The starting rotation figures to be set with Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer and Trey Yesavage. With Yesavage getting eased into the season slowly, it's likely that veteran Eric Lauer will play a key role in keeping him healthy, perhaps serving as a Yesavage piggyback.

The Blue Jays open up the regular season on March 27 at home against the A's. The reigning American League champion, Toronto enters the season with massive expectations to contend for the World Series title.

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