Blue Jays are are left in a bind after Jose Berrios undergoes Tommy John surgery

José Berríos was expected to miss a significant period after surgery was needed for an elbow injury initially speculated to be a stress fracture. Recovery timelines were projected to vary from a couple of months to nearly one and a half years depending on whether the procedure addressed only the fracture, removed loose bodies, or also treated ligament problems. The worst outcome occurred when Berríos required full Tommy John surgery to fix his elbow issues. He will be unavailable for all of 2026 and may also miss 2027. The Blue Jays’ starting rotation outlook worsened after losing a key option who had shown promise in spring training and was part of a deeper rotation group.

"Depending on whether the surgery will be used to just treat the fracture, clean up loose bodies, or even address potential ligament issues, the time frame for recovery could range between a couple of months to almost one and a half years, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet."

"Unfortunately on Wednesday, the worst-case scenario that the Blue Jays had feared most about his surgery outcome materialized. Berríos had to undergo full Tommy John surgery in the end to rectify his elbow issues and will now be out of action for all of 2026 and potentially 2027 as well."

"Entering the 2026 MLB season, one of the main strengths of the Blue Jays was the built-up depth for their starting pitching in which they had up to nine players that could effectively slot into the rotation. Among those included Berríos, who was looking to bounce back from the lacklustre back half of his 2025 season where he ultimately lost his starting role down the stretch."

"But when Berrios was slated to join Puerto Rico for the World Baseball Classic, he was turned down the opportunity due to a surprising insurance issue that arose. That issue was the beginning of his current injury woes with his pitching elbow, which even through recovery and rehab has now spiraled into the season-ending injury he currently faces."

Read at Jays Journal