Right-hander José Berríos will officially begin this season on the injured list after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right elbow, the club announced Wednesday.

The Toronto Blue Jays’ injured starter received this disappointing update while meeting with specialist Dr. Keith Meister in Texas on Tuesday, manager John Schneider revealed. He added that while the 31-year-old is currently symptom-free and isn’t experiencing any discomfort, he’ll remain sidelined for another few days.

But they plan to have Berríos resume throwing toward the end of this week, hoping he’ll be able to pitch through this issue without it severely impacting his starter’s build-up.

It appears the Blue Jays have avoided the worst-case scenario with Berríos, which is an important development given his significance to this team and his looming opt-out after this season.

However, he won’t be healthy on Opening Day for the first time in his 11-year MLB career, coming several months after enduring his first-ever IL stint last September. His most recent ailment, though, is apparently different from the right elbow inflammation that plagued him throughout last season.

Berríos was scratched from last Thursday’s Grapefruit League start in Clearwater, Fla., against the Philadelphia Phillies after WBC insurers flagged his physical, prompting the franchise to conduct its own assessment. After his MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage, they exercised extra caution by seeking a second opinion from Meister this week.

Chances are, by having Berríos — who had pitched to a 3.38 ERA in three exhibition starts this spring — begin the 2026 campaign on the IL, it almost certainly squashes any theory of Toronto carrying a six-man rotation out of the gate. Now, the club’s starting staff is slated to include Opening Day starter Kevin Gausman, likely followed by Dylan Cease (in that order), Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce and Max Scherzer.

Eric Lauer, scheduled to throw four innings in a minor-league game at the player development complex on Wednesday, according to Schneider, remains poised to return to the bullpen when the regular season opens. Berríos, meanwhile, will join Shane Bieber (forearm) on the shelf to begin the year.

The Blue Jays’ starting pitching depth is already being tested with Opening Day nearly here, further proving that you can never have enough arms, as the saying goes.