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Blue Jays: José Berríos bounces back with five strikeouts in second rehab start
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Apr 23, 2026, 07:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 22, 2026, 21:00 EDT
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After struggling in a rehab start last week, Toronto Blue Jays’ starter José Berríos bounced back on Wednesday.
Last Thursday’s start didn’t go great. Berríos was tagged for five earned runs in two and two-thirds innings. He allowed a home run, a walk, and struck out three, a rather disappointing result. Thankfully, he looked like the Berríos of old while pitching for the Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays on Wednesday.
Berríos gave up a lead-off single in the bottom of the first, but retired the next three batters thanks to three strikeouts. The first was a whiff on an 86.3 mph changeup. Then Berríos received a called strike, followed by a whiff on a 94.1 mph four-seamer to get out of the inning.
The second inning also saw the lead-off batter reach with a single. This time, Berríos induced two groundouts, and with the runner on third base, Berríos froze Harry Genth with a 94.6 mph fastball down the middle.
There were no strikeouts in the bottom of the third, as Berríos got back-to-back-to-back ground outs to end the inning. While he gave up a lead-off single to start the bottom of the fourth, he induced another ground ball, with the infield turning the double play. Berríos ended his evening with a strikeout, getting Quentin Young to swing on a 93.6 mph fastball.
Overall, Berríos threw four innings, allowing three hits and striking out five. His command wasn’t really an issue a week ago, with just one batter getting a free pass, but Berríos didn’t give up a walk on Wednesday. Of the three singles, only one was hard-hit. Moreover, Berríos threw 55 pitches, 37 were for strikes.
His fastball velocity was up from last season, averaging 93.5 mph as opposed to 93 mph last season. Berríos topped off at 94.6 mph on three occasions, generating two whiffs on nine swings with his four-seam fastball. The best of his pitches was his changeup, generating two whiffs on just six total swings. Both the sinker and slurve generated one swing and miss.
If the Blue Jays have the same gameplan for Berríos as they did Trey Yesavage, Berríos’ next start will likely be higher up the minor league ladder. Yesavage went straight to Triple-A, making his second start there on Tuesday evening. It’ll be Yesavage that joins the team first, whether after a fifth rehab outing or on this homestand. That said, Berríos will hopefully be ready sooner rather than later.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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