Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jose Berrios will miss at least another year of action after undergoing Tommy John surgery on Wednesday.
Dr. Keith Meister performed the procedure in Texas, beginning with the hope that only a minor removal of “loose bodies” in the elbow would be required. However, the ultimate diagnosis was that a full elbow ligament reconstruction was required.
“The bone in the elbow was on the ligament. Not ideal,” Toronto manager John Schneider said. “We kind of decided that, when they go in there, if that’s compromised at all, we’ll fix it. It was. He’ll be down for 12 to 14 months.”
Berrios has been on the injured list all season while trying to work his way back from the elbow ailment that kept him off the team’s postseason roster last fall. He made four minor league rehab appearances in the past month, going 0-1 with a 10.67 ERA in Class-A and Triple-A. Most recently, his fastball velocity was lower than normal for Triple-A Buffalo.
The 31-year-old veteran had been an ever-present part of the Toronto rotation since the Blue Jays acquired him from the Minnesota Twins in a July 2021 trade. He made at least 30 starts in each of the past five seasons, though he was briefly moved to the bullpen last September before landing on the injured list.
“It’s weird not having him,” Schneider said. “We were looking for him to get back to normal, and he was hoping for that, too. It’s definitely weird and frustrating for him, too.”
Last year, Berrios went 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA in 31 games (30 starts).
A two-time All-Star, Berrios has a career 108-82 record and a 4.08 ERA in 275 games, including 273 starts, for Minnesota (2016-21) and Toronto (2021-25).
He has two years and $48 million remaining on the seven-year, $131 million extension he signed with the Blue Jays in November 2021.
