A day after being returned from Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic team, Toronto Blue Jays righty Jose Berrios has been scratched from his Grapefruit League start against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday.
Jays manager John Schneider says an MRI on the 31-year-old Berrios’s throwing elbow revealed some “different inflammation.”
José Berríos is dealing with some “different inflammation” now in his throwing elbow.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 12, 2026
A test for WBC insurance initially showed something, so the #BlueJays did their own MRI.
John Schneider stressed that Berríos feels good and will continue throwing, but he won’t start today.
Berrios was set to join Puerto Rico for the knockout round at the WBC, but his participation was halted when insurance was denied after a medical showed something in his arm, which prompted the Jays to administer their own MRI.
Schneider says that Berrios feels good and will not stop throwing.
Berrios was placed on the injured list last September with elbow inflammation that ended his season. The move came only days after he lost his spot in the starting rotation. Berrios chose to return home to continue his recovery instead of remaining with the team through the World Series, something that became a source of contention between the Jays and the pitcher.
A native of Bayamon, Berrios is set to embark on his 11th big league season and sixth with the Blue Jays.
The two-time All-Star has three years remaining on a seven-year, $131 million deal.
