Berrios building up to rejoin Blue Jays after WBC denials, ‘weird’ injury

DUNEDIN, Fla. – The atmosphere at Hiram Bithorn Stadium during Puerto Rico’s World Baseball Classic games is special, so when José Berríos was denied insurance for pool play, the decision hit the Toronto Blue Jays right-hander “really, really hard.”

A chance to pitch for the national team, at home, in front of children Valentina, Sebastian and Diego Jose, would have meant so much to the family, and a similar opportunity may not come up again.

“That’s the tough part,” Berríos said. “But I guess I understand what the situation is, dealing with the process. The beginning was frustrating, but my kids still had a chance to go to the games in Puerto Rico for that first round. They enjoyed every game. They were so pumped up. They learned. So, that’s great.

“Being there and pitching in front of them, that’s something I’m going to miss. But there’s nothing I can do.”

The same applies to the even bigger shock Berríos received when he was denied insurance a second time, ahead of the WBC quarterfinals, when an MRI revealed the stress fracture in his right elbow, causing him to open a season on the injured list for the first time.

The 31-year-old had made three spring starts to that point, his velocity increasing each time out, and had no idea the injury was there.

Berríos was progressing so well this spring, the Puerto Rican team built him into their plans for the quarterfinals, with manager Yadier Molina revealing that he’d piggyback behind Seth Lugo before word of the insurance denial dropped hours later.

If not for the preceding physical, Berríos would have continued to pitch unaware of the stress fracture.

“It was weird, knowing I’ve been throwing the ball pretty well, felt strong, healthy,” Berríos said of his initial reaction to the news. “Then I saw the picture, I saw what I got there, but how I’m feeling is still weird, because I feel great. They stopped me from pitching. They wanted to make sure I feel great, and nothing is going to get worse, so that’s why I stopped.”

He and the Blue Jays charted a path forward during a visit to specialist Dr. Keith Meister last week, when “I asked him multiple times, like four or five times, ‘Do I need surgery?’” Berríos relayed. “He said no each time. He told me that I can throw the ball, just keep building back up and feeling healthy and great.”

Berríos is doing precisely that now, playing catch, building up his arm strength while the stress fracture heals. A bullpen is slated for next Friday, when the Blue Jays open the season at home against the Athletics. His hope is to miss no more than a month.

A year ago, Berríos received the opening-day assignment to begin an uneven season that saw him post a 3.83 ERA through his first 22 starts, but a 5.31 mark through his final nine outings ahead of his first injured-list stint in 10 big-league seasons. Elbow inflammation kept him on the sidelines throughout the post-season and he controversially left the team before the World Series in what he described this spring as “a bad decision” that he apologized for this spring.

The injuries may simply be the toll of a decade of durability catching up with him – he made 30 starts in each of the seven previous full seasons plus the maximum of 12 outings during the pandemic summer of 2020 – although he doesn’t necessarily think that’s the case.

“I mean, some players avoid that, so hopefully I can keep avoiding that, too,” he said. “Nothing’s been major, no surgery. But to be out there, playing every game is a great stress, not just for the pitchers but the position players, too. We are like a champion, trying to keep ourselves and our bodies healthy out there every day.”

Berríos is working back to that goal, confident that what he felt were gains with his fastball and his command will be there again once he’s ready to get back up on a mound.

“My breaking ball and changeup were there, too,” he said. “I’ve been feeling pretty well, ready to compete and I was so close. So, just waiting for the lights to turn on.”