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Blue Jays’ José Berríos heading for MRI as elbow pain persists, Eric Lauer to remain in rotation
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Photo credit: Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images
Michael Coyle
May 5, 2026, 19:00 EDT
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The Toronto Blue Jays are going to be waiting a little longer for José Berríos’ return. 
On Tuesday, Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced that Berríos will be undergoing an MRI tonight after feeling a little more sore than expected following his most recent rehab outing. 
Berríos made what was supposed to be his fourth and final start with the Buffalo Bisons on Sunday, as the 31-year-old attempts to work his way back from a stress fracture in his pitching elbow. 
Berríos has struggled throughout the course of his four starts between Single-A Dunedin and Triple-A Buffalo. Berríos is 0-1 with a 10.67 ERA and 1.81 WHIP. The right-hander’s velocity has been noticeably down in Buffalo, with his sinker averaging 90.1 MPH in his latest start and topping out at 92.1 MPH. It should be noted that in both starts in Triple-A, the temperatures hovered around 10 degrees Celsius. 
Over Berríos’ 14 1/3 innings, he has allowed opponents to hit .322, giving up 19 hits and six home runs in his four appearances. Berríos has posted an 11:7 strikeout-to-walk ratio, struggling to consistently miss bats, a concern for Berríos, who totalled 204 in 2021. 
The Berríos news will keep left-hander Eric Lauer in the rotation for the time being. After Monday’s outing against the Tampa Bay Rays, which saw Lauer post a line of 4 1/3 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, with 2 K. The 30-year-old now has a record of 1-4, a 6.03 ERA and a WHIP of 1.50 through seven games (six starts). 
Lauer’s next turn in the rotation should come Sunday when the Blue Jays host the Los Angeles Angels at the Rogers Centre. Lauer has recorded only five-plus innings twice this year, and has struggled to get his velocity to where he’d like it to be following an early-season flu bug that cost him some weight. 
Blue Jays’ right-hander Shane Bieber, who is with the team in Tampa, told The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon that he is close to progressing to facing live hitters. Bieber stated that his progression is going as planned and that he is feeling great. Bieber was placed on the 60-day injured list with right elbow inflammation in March after opting in to his $16 million player option in November. 
Bieber was acquired by the Blue Jays before the 2025 MLB trade deadline and went 4-2 with a 3.57 ERA and 1.02 WHIP over seven starts in his return from Tommy John surgery. The 30-year-old made five appearances (four starts) during the Blue Jays’ run to the World Series, going 2-1 with a 3.86 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. 

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