The Toronto Blue Jays will be without one of their starting pitchers to open the regular season, as Jose Berrios has been diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow.

Berrios received clarity on the injury after visiting with Dr. Keith Meister, manager John Schneider confirmed on Wednesday, who added that the right-handed pitcher remains symptom-free but will miss Opening Day.

Berrios is expected to pitch through the issue and will resume throwing soon, Schneider said.

The 31-year-old underwent an MRI less than a week ago in hopes of pitching for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.

“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 on March 12.

Toronto’s starting pitching depth looking more important than ever

Berrios ended last year on the injured list with elbow inflammation and didn’t appear in the postseason as the Blue Jays came one win shy of their first World Series since 1993.

“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.”

The right-hander made three Spring Training starts, pitching to a 3.38 ERA. He finished 2025 with a 4.17 ERA across 31 appearances (30 starts) and 138 strikeouts across 166 innings. Berrios is entering his fifth full season in Toronto after being acquired from the Minnesota Twins in 2021.

The Blue Jays opened the spring with strong rotation depth, and that was further bolstered when the club brought back 41-year-old Max Scherzer on a one-year deal. There appears to be more clarity on that front in light of the Berrios injury, as Toronto is expected to enter the regular season with Shane Bieber on the injured list (forearm/elbow surgery) and Trey Yesavage ramping up in time for Opening Day.

As of now, the Blue Jays’ starting rotation consists of Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce, Yesavage and Scherzer, with Eric Lauer as added insurance.

Toronto kicks off the regular season against the Athletics at the Rogers Centre on March 27, with Gausman announced as the Opening Day starter.