José Berríos undergoes Tommy John surgery and will be out until 2027
The Toronto Blue Jays have confirmed that Puerto Rican pitcher José Berríos underwent Tommy John surgery, a procedure that will keep him out of action for the entire 2026 season and likely part of the 2027 campaign.
Manager John Schneider reported that a procedure was initially planned to treat a stress fracture in the throwing elbow and remove bone fragments. However, during the medical evaluation, Dr. Keith Meister detected damage to the ulnar collateral ligament, which required a complete reconstruction.
Berrios had been diagnosed with the injury in March, which also prevented him from participating with Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.
The veteran tried to return to activity and made four rehabilitation starts in the minor leagues, but felt discomfort again during an outing with Triple-A Buffalo on May 3, which led to new medical evaluations and finally to the decision to undergo surgery.
The 32-year-old pitcher closed the 2025 season on the injured list and did not participate in the postseason. In that campaign, he posted a 4.17 ERA in 30 starts, accumulating 166 innings pitched with Toronto.
Berríos arrived at the Blue Jays in 2021 from the Minnesota Twins and is under contract with the organization until the end of the 2027 season after signing a seven-year, $131 million extension.
