DETROIT -- The Blue Jays aren’t ready to announce the plan for José Berríos and his right elbow just yet. That could come as soon as Saturday, but the potential treatments they’re considering include the word no one wants to hear.
“Surgery is on the table. It’s an option at this point,” manager John Schneider said on Friday. “We’re just trying to figure out if that’s the route we’re going to go.”
While Schneider has not been privy to every single conversation between doctors and the Blue Jays’ staff since Berríos met with Dr. Keith Meister earlier in the week, he does not believe at this point that any ligament damage is involved. This issue still appears to be centered around the stress fracture Berríos had been pitching through, with Schneider also mentioning “loose bodies” in relation to it.
Berríos is part of this decision-making process, too. This has to be frustrating for the 31-year-old who, for the better part of the last decade, was one of the most consistent and dependable pitchers in Major League Baseball, a near lock to make 32 starts with 180-plus innings each season.
“He’s just trying to make the best decision for now and for the long term,” Schneider said. “He’s back and forth a little bit on it, I think, and just wants to get it right.”
In late April, it was beginning to look like Berríos would pitch through this issue and bounce right back to the big leagues, where his return would have been welcomed with open arms. The Blue Jays’ injury bug has been particularly cruel on the rotation, which is still without Cody Ponce, Max Scherzer and Shane Bieber. Eric Lauer was designated for assignment on top of that, so Toronto is down to a bullpen game taking up one rotation spot, while Patrick Corbin keeps another calm for the time being.
Instead, Berríos ran into some problems in his two most recent rehab starts, sitting closer to 90-91 mph instead of 93-94 mph. After being hit hard in those appearances, Berríos reported more soreness than usual in his elbow, which led to the in-person evaluation with Meister.
The Blue Jays are exploring all options to support their rotation, both internal and external. Reliever Spencer Miles, who has done an excellent job settling in as a Rule 5 Draft pick, is the “long guy” in Saturday’s planned bullpen game, but it’s awfully tempting to see how he’d look in a role that’s a little closer to the definition of “starting pitcher”. Toronto’s Triple-A depth has been tested, too, but Chad Dallas and CJ Van Eyk are both having strong seasons and could be options at any point.
With an early afternoon game on Saturday against the Tigers at Comerica Park, the next potential update could come from Schneider late Saturday morning.