Blue Jays Notes: Berrios, Kirk, Barger

"Jose Berrios suffered a stress fracture in his throwing elbow during intake physicals for the World Baseball Classic, and that injury flared up again during a minor league rehab stint. Although an update was expected yesterday on Berrios' condition, there was no clear answer on the current severity of the stress fracture. If anything, the picture is even murkier now."

"Schneider doesn't believe there is any ligament damage, but there may be "loose bodies" in Berrios' elbow in addition to the stress fracture, according to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com. The latter injury comes with a range of outcomes for recovery. The Braves' Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep both underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in the spring."

"Schwellenbach is on the 60-day injured list and hasn't thrown yet, while Waldrep avoided the 60-day IL. In the last month, Tarik Skubal and have also undergone surgery for loose bodies, and they're expected to miss two to three months. It's difficult to predict a timeline for Berrios from that range of outcomes."

"At the moment, that leaves a four-man rotation of Dylan Cease, Trey Yesavage, Kevin Gausman, and Patrick Corbin. That obviously won't hold up long-term, and it's further complicated by the Jays' hectic schedule in the next two weeks. The team does not have an off day until June 1st, with 17 games between now and then, including tonight. Schneider has said the club will use a spot starter tomorrow, leaving three additional turns through the rotation that need to be covered by a spot starter or bullpen games."

Jose Berrios is on the injured list with a stress fracture in his throwing elbow that flared up during a minor league rehab stint. An update on the injury severity did not provide clarity, and manager John Schneider said surgery is on the table. Schneider does not believe there is ligament damage, but loose bodies may be present in the elbow alongside the stress fracture. Loose-body surgeries have led to different recovery timelines for other pitchers, including multi-month absences. Toronto must proceed cautiously due to Berrios long layoff and lingering symptoms. With no off day until June 1 and 17 games in the period, the Blue Jays will rely on spot starters and bullpen games to cover rotation turns.

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