Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos made his spring debut today, throwing 2 2/3 innings against the Mets. That’s a notable step for the righty since his health became an issue late last year. He told reporters, including Shi Davidi of Sportsnet, that he already had doubts about his health at this time a year ago and that those doubts stayed in his mind through the season.
“I threw that way last year all year long,” he said. “I’ve never been in that situation before. I just was dealing with that. Everything was new for me. I never saw myself (not pitching) so that’s why I kept trying to fight and compete with my team.”
Berríos tossed 166 innings last year, so it certainly wasn’t a lost season, but it was relatively injury-marred by his own high standards. He made 32 starts in every full season from 2018 to 2024, plus 12 starts in the shortened 2020 season. He finished 2025 on the injured list due to elbow inflammation, though he now says it was actually his biceps tendon which had the inflammation, which was impacting his elbow.
Though he didn’t hit the IL until late in the year, it’s possible his arm was gradually wearing down as the season went along, as he had a 3.75 earned run average in the first half and a 5.15 ERA in the second. His four-seamer and sinker averaged over 94 miles per hour in his first start of the year but were below 92 mph by the end of August. He was in the 91-92 mph range today, per Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet, though Zwelling added that the cold conditions seemed to be hampering many pitchers today.
As Berríos struggled last year, he was bumped out of the rotation, shortly before hitting the IL. The Jays are likely going to start the season with Shane Bieber on the IL, so Berríos is projected to once again have a rotation spot behind Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman, Trey Yesavage and Cody Ponce.
A healthy and productive season from Berríos would be great for the Jays and could also impact his earning power. At the end of the year, he can opt out of his deal, walking away from two years and $48MM. He can also increase that guarantee depending on how many innings he pitches in 2026.
Sticking with the rotation, left-hander Eric Lauer is currently on the outside looking in. He projects to be the #6 guy right now, which would mean starting the season in the bullpen as the long man, though an injury could quickly open a rotation spot for him. He spent much of 2025 in that spot, switching between starting and relieving. He finished the year with a 3.18 ERA in 104 2/3 innings over 15 starts and 13 relief appearances. He also made five postseason appearances with a 3.18 ERA.
The southpaw tells Mitch Bannon of The Athletic that he would prefer to have a full-time starting job, as most pitchers would. Bannon floats the possibility of Lauer ending up traded, though the Jays want him around and stretched out since injuries will inevitably cut into their depth.
That’s a natural preference for the Jays to have since their optionable depth is far more questionable. Bowden Francis is going to miss the year due to Tommy John surgery. Jake Bloss is still recovering from last year’s elbow surgery. Ricky Tiedemann didn’t pitch last year due to his surgery. Adam Macko hasn’t yet cracked the majors and Lazaro Estrada has just two big league games. Yariel Rodríguez is in camp but isn’t currently on the roster.
Keeping Lauer around decreases the odds of the Jays needing to turn to that depth pile, but on the other hand, Lauer could still get squeezed out. Bieber may not miss much time and the Jays have kept in touch with free agent Max Scherzer. If Scherzer is re-signed and Bieber’s arm holds up, Lauer could quickly move from sixth on the chart to eighth. At that point, it’s possible the Jays prefer to trade him for something else, as opposed to holding him in a spot where he’s buried.
Photo courtesy of Rhona Wise, Imagn Images
