DUNEDIN, Fla. — John Schneider called the situation surrounding Jose Berrios “unique,” while Berrios himself acknowledged that it was “weird.”

Basically, the Toronto Blue Jays‘ right-hander is feeling strong, yet due to the results of an MRI for World Baseball Classic insurance purposes, Berrios was scratched from his scheduled start on Thursday and his spring training has been put on hold for the time being. 

Add it all up, and it’s just another turn in what’s been a frustrating several weeks for Berrios. 

“I’ve been feeling great and throwing the ball well, but the MRI says something so now we have to take care of that,” Berrios said in front of his locker at the Blue Jays’ player development complex on Thursday morning. 

Berrios ended last year on the injured list with elbow inflammation, and after a healthy off-season, he had hoped to represent Puerto Rico in the WBC. While that injury resulted in a rejection for the first round of the tournament, Berrios remained hopeful he could join the Puerto Rican squad if they advanced to the quarterfinals. 

They did, however, recent imaging as part of the tournament insurance process revealed different inflammation in his right elbow than what he dealt with last season, according to Schneider.

“We’re kind of still in the information gathering stage,” said the manager, adding that the club is trying to proceed in a “delicate” manner.

“You’re doing what’s right by the player and you trust the process of the doctors,” said Schneider. “He’s adamant that he feels great and if we didn’t agree with him, we would, I think, be a little bit more concerned. But I think whenever there’s things above our pay grade, you got to let that play out a little bit.”

Berrios was scheduled to pitch against the Philadelphia Phillies in Clearwater on Thursday, but was replaced by right-hander CJ Van Eyk. That would have been Berrios’s fourth start of the spring. 

He’s been encouraged by the progression of his breaking ball and changeup, and has been effective so far in Grapefruit League action, allowing just four runs on eight hits over 10.2 innings, while getting up to 63 pitches in his last start. 

The plan now is for Berrios to continue with his long toss routine and to play catch on flat ground until the Blue Jays can further determine the state of his elbow. However, with Opening Day just two weeks away, he’s wary of losing the stamina he’s worked diligently to build up. 

“That’s the only scare I have right now,” said Berrios. “Just get out of shape. I mean, I’ve been feeling so great right now so I don’t want to lose where I am. 

“I just lost this outing, so hopefully I can make the next one.” 

The Blue Jays entered the spring with strong rotation depth, and that was further bolstered when the club brought back Max Scherzer on a one-year deal. Even if Berrios is sidelined for an extended period, or if Trey Yesavage requires more time in his build-up, the Blue Jays’ rotation picture remains solid.

Eric Lauer made his fourth start of the spring on Wednesday against the New York Yankees and could slide into a rotation spot, joining Scherzer, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce.

Berrios’s predicament, though, underlines the precarious nature of pitcher health. Nicknamed “La Makina,” which translates from Spanish to “The Machine,” Berrios built a reputation as one of the sport’s most durable pitchers. 

That’s being tested now. 

Berrios revealed last month he pitched through discomfort during the entire 2025 season with elbow inflammation that originated in his bicep tendon. The 31-year-old posted a 4.17 ERA over 30 starts plus one relief appearance, and his 166 innings represented his shortest tally in a full season since 2017. Berrios is owed $19 million this year and is due $24 million in the ’27 and ’28 campaigns if he doesn’t exercise an opt-out after ’26.

Not to be missed in all this is just how frustrating it is for Berrios to miss out on the chance to represent Puerto Rico, host of the WBC’s Pool A. 

“To be honest, the most frustrating was not going to the first round because that first round was in Puerto Rico,” said Berrios. “To play there in front of my family, friends and also my three kids. They’re more grown now, so they understand what that means. 

“But if I can’t go, I can’t do anything with that.”