Toronto Blue Jays pitcher José Berríos underwent surgery on Wednesday with the intent to repair a stress fracture on his elbow.
He ended up undergoing a full Tommy John procedure. Manager John Schneider announced the news to reporters Wednesday afternoon and confirmed that they knew Tommy John was on the table going in to the procedure.
“Not ideal for him, not ideal for us,” Schneider said.
Berríos missed last year’s postseason run to the World Series on the injured list and hadn’t pitched this season since an MRI during spring training revealed the stress fracture in his elbow.
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The Blue Jays announced last week that Berríos would undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair the stress fracture. They also announced at the time that there was concern about ligament damage that wouldn’t be known under he underwent surgery.
It turns out that the needed a full repair of his UCL and will now face a lengthy layoff from baseball. Pitchers are typically given a 12-to-18 month recovery timeline after undergoing Tommy John.
Tough Blow for Berríos, Blue Jays
Berríos, 31, is in his sixth season with the Blue Jays. After two consecutive seasons of posting a 3.65 ERA or better, Berríos regressed in 2025. In 31 games, he posted a 4.17 ERA and 1.301 WHIP with 138 strikeouts and 56 walks in 166 innings.
The Blue Jays moved him to the bullpen for a single appearance on Sept. 24 after he’d previously made 30 starts. He finished the season on the injured list from there and was not with the team during its run to the World Series.
The Blue Jays are off to a 21-27 start after winning the AL East and falling one win short of a World Series championship last season. A two-time All-Star with the Minnesota Twins, Berríos is playing on a seven-year, $131 million contract that runs through the 2028 season.
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