Speaking at spring training on Thursday, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jose Berrios said he has apologized to his teammates for how he handled the World Series in 2025.

Berrios was injured at the end of the regular season and did not appear in the playoffs. Reporting earlier this offseason suggested he was unhappy at being left off the World Series roster and left his team as a result.

Hazel Mae of Sportsnet had more on his comments:

Asked Jose Berrios to clarify whether he was absent during WS because he was unhappy with being left off playoff roster:

“Honestly, I wasn't (unhappy). I understand why I was out of the roster. Usually I can throw the ball at any time.. that's why I made that decision...”

“ at that moment, I thought I wasn’t pitching. I didn’t feel great and I wanted to be close to my family. And didn’t bring my family to Canada because they’re (sons) going to miss days in school”

He has since apologized to his teammates and admitted he could’ve handled it better

Whatever the reason was for Berrios's departure, it's over and it's time to move on. As long as his teammates are OK with his reasoning and as long as he's got a good mindset in 2026, the strength of the Toronto clubhouse should prevail. The Blue Jays enter the campaign as one of the favorites in the American League again.

A 31-year-old native of Puerto Rico, Berrios is a 10-year veteran of the Minnesota Twins and Blue Jays. A two-time All-Star earlier in his career, he's gone 108-82 with a 4.08 ERA. Largely durable, he's made 30 starts or more in his last seven full seasons, and he also made 12 in the COVID-shortened 2020 season (60 games).

It had been largely assumed that Berrios would begin the year in the bullpen, but with Shane Bieber set to begin the year on the injured list, he'll have a prominent role in the rotation - as long as he's healthy.

Berrios was not on the initial roster for Team Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic, but he was recently added to the designated pitcher pool, meaning he can be added to the roster after the Pool Play round.

--Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is also back in camp and got some swings on Thursday morning

--The Blue Jays defeated left-hander Eric Lauer in a very interesting arbitration case. Here's what happened.

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