Breaking: Terrible News for Jose Berrios In Another Blow to Blue Jays Staff

Here we go again. The Toronto Blue Jays' pitching staff has taken another big hit. They were forced to start the year without the injured Shane Bieber, Trey Yesavage and Jose Berrios. Soon after, Cody Ponce joined them, but he went down for the entire season. Max Scherzer has since joined them on the injured list as well. Only Yesavage has been able to return.

Now, Berrios has gotten some brutal news on his injury, as he'll be forced to go under the knife.

Jose Berrios to undergo elbow surgery Wednesday

Specifics TBD but will either address the fracture/loose bodies in his elbow or also deal with a ligament issue Berrios is facing

Could be as short as a couple month recovery. Or as much as 12-18 months.
— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) May 16, 2026

Berrios will undergo elbow surgery this coming week after getting the results of his meeting with noted sports orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister. According to reports, the surgery will be to address a stress fracture and loose bodies in his elbow, but also may have deal with a ligament issue, which has now become of some concern.

"They're going to figure that out when they're actually in there,” manager John Schneider said. “See what they see when they get in.”

Beat writer Ben Nicholson-Smith says Berrios' recovery could be anywhere from two months (stress fracture) to a year-and-a-half (ligament repair). Yikes.

Jose Berrios 'pissed' after learning he'll undergo elbow surgery

How does Berrios feel about the whole thing?

“He’s pissed,” Schneider said. “He's frustrated … So I feel bad for him.”

It's understandable, as Berrios has been an iron man among pitchers. He made all 32 of his starts each season for five consecutive years, then missed just 2 starts last season.

He has an opt-out on his contract after this season, with two years at $24M annually left. Given the injury situation, it's highly unlikely that he would opt out at this point.

Meanwhile, the Jays are left without a 5th starter at the moment, after they DFA'd Eric Lauer last week.