Latest On José Berríos After Spring Debut

Speaking to reporters (including Sportnet's Shi Davidi) after his Grapefruit League debut, José Berríos revealed that he was already pitching through discomfort at this time last spring. He continued dealing with the issue throughout the season, eventually landing on the IL with an elbow/biceps tendon injury. It's no secret that he started to wear down at some point during 2025, but this is the first time he has clarified just how early his troubles started. 

Thankfully, Berríos is feeling much stronger this spring.

"Last year, at this time, I had doubt in my mind already," he explained. "Today, I felt like nothing's on my mind. I'm clear."

Berríos gave up two runs on three hits and a walk in his outing on Monday, striking out two Mets batters. He earned five whiffs on 23 swings, and his sinker topped out at 92.7 mph. All told, the righty threw 47 pitches across 2 2/3 innings, plus another 13 in a bullpen session. He said he was pleased with his performance.

From 2023-24, Berríos made 64 starts for the Blue Jays with a 3.63 ERA. He had a 3.38 ERA through his first 14 starts in 2025, but struggled to a 4.97 ERA in his final 17 outings (16 starts). According to the pitch models Stuff+ and PitchingBot, his raw stuff declined significantly on four of his five pitches. The drop-off was particularly noticeable over the final three months of the year. 

Now, however, manager John Schneider says Berríos has regained his best stuff. "His stuff is back to where it was probably two years ago in terms of velocity and his breaking ball," said the skipper, per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.

Hopefully, Berríos can blame his late-season performance on his injury, and now that he's back at full strength, he can pitch more like the pitcher he was before. As things stand, he's a good bet to make Toronto's Opening Day rotation, but if he continues to struggle like he did late last season, he'll run the risk of losing his job when Shane Bieber comes off the IL.

Berríos also gave an update on his chances of pitching in the World Baseball Classic. While initial reports suggested he was denied insurance coverage and wouldn't be able to participate, he was later added to Puerto Rico's designated pitcher pool. On Monday, the veteran seemed optimistic he'd be able to join Puerto Rico if they make it to the next round of the tournament, though he'd still need to pass another physical. His willingness to play in the WBC certainly seems like a good sign that he's feeling healthier than he was last year.