Berríos had suffered a stress fracture in his elbow, leading to lower velocity that was on full display during his rehab starts with Triple-A Buffalo. From 2021 up until last season, Berríos was a staple of the team’s rotation and managed to start 138 games for the Blue Jays while posting a 4.08 ERA.
With Berríos out for the season, the team’s once-flourishing pitching depth is slowly depleting after already losing Cody Ponce in his first start of the season, designating Eric Lauer for assignment and trading him just a week ago. It’s clear the team is also running low on arms to start games, and they need to come up with a plan if they want to climb out of the 21-27 record they currently hold.
So, where do they go from here?
Return of the Regulars
Many forget that Max Scherzer is still someone the club values and wants in the rotation, so when healthy, he will likely be given another opportunity. Scherzer’s numbers have been rough, as he owns a 9.64 ERA in five starts this season and sits one strikeout away from 3,500 in his career. The forearm issues this year are a callback to the thumb issue he dealt with last season — nagging injuries that can be frustrating hurdles.
When he’s feeling good, Scherzer has shown he can go beyond the bare minimum in his starts, but the question is whether that will be enough. His stuff is fairly similar to last season, so the hope is that his health cooperates and he can provide at least five innings per outing. While the numbers are not exactly promising, dating back to 2025, Scherzer’s first start coming off the IL showed he could still provide some stability to the Blue Jays’ pitching staff as the season progressed.
Then there’s Shane Bieber, who is slowly progressing and is expected to be eased back into the rotation shortly. Bieber hasn’t thrown outside of a bullpen session for the Blue Jays yet, but while there are positives in that, the time for patience may be wearing thin, as the team that went to the World Series last year needs all the reinforcements it can get.
Opener Strategy?
The Blue Jays are no strangers to using an opener strategy, as they even used a bullpen game to beat the Yankees in the ALDS last October. The key question is: can it work long term?
The experiment last season, and at times this season, involved having a bullpen arm pitch an inning or two before turning the game over to Eric Lauer for bulk innings. Unlike last year, this season it backfired, resulting in Lauer being DFA’d the day after Mother’s Day. One positive from this strategy, however, was that the Blue Jays discovered
Spencer Miles can be quite effective when called upon.
The 25-year-old Miles was originally stretched out as a starter in the San Francisco Giants organization. He made four starts in the Arizona Fall League for the Giants and allowed four runs across 8 2/3 innings. So far, in 29 innings at the major league level, Miles has posted a 2.17 ERA with 29 strikeouts for the Blue Jays, earning the opportunity to handle multiple innings of work.
While Miles is not necessarily a major league starter yet, he has stated he is willing to help the club in any way possible. If the Blue Jays need to stretch him out as a starter, that process could begin slowly. Arms like Yariel Rodríguez received similar treatment in 2024 due to injuries that season, and it’s likely the frontrunner for long-relief appearances begins and ends with Miles for the foreseeable future.
Internal Options
John Schneider mentioned a few weeks ago that he was looking into what the Blue Jays have in terms of minor league pitching depth. Two names he mentioned were right-handers
Chad Dallas and CJ Van Eyk.
Of the two, Dallas, 25, is recovering from Tommy John surgery last season but has looked dominant, striking out 34 batters in 32 innings of work. Van Eyk, 27, has remained with the Blue Jays organization since being drafted in 2020. A 3.53 ERA across nine starts for the Buffalo Bisons this season has, at the very least, warranted consideration for a big league opportunity.
The downside is that, despite how promising both arms can be for the organization, neither is currently on the 40-man roster, and corresponding moves would be required to add both of them, with the Jays currently standing at 39 players. With Berríos likely heading to the 60-day IL, it’s possible one of them could be selected to the roster in the coming days in a corresponding move.
The Blue Jays also still have Austin Voth and Josh Fleming with the Bisons after both re-signed minor league contracts with the organization following their DFA’s earlier this season. There is also Adam Macko, who was originally stretched out as a starter and could very much serve as an innings eater should the team call upon him.
Time for a Trade?
As the calendar approaches the middle of May, teams rarely make significant trades at this point in the season unless they involve cash considerations or a player to be named later. With that said, now might be the time to start exploring this avenue.
The Blue Jays have a plethora of assets on both the major league roster and in the farm system that they could begin leveraging. Looking back at previous Blue Jays teams, the organization often acquired players who were struggling elsewhere and moulded them into contributors.
Unfortunately, the market currently offers slim pickings. Most available names are pitchers who have struggled, such as Cody Bolton, who was recently DFA’d by the Houston Astros. While teams like the San Francisco Giants have shown a willingness to make moves — such as trading catcher Patrick Bailey to the Cleveland Guardians — the Blue Jays front office would likely prefer to avoid acting impulsively. Still, they are at least showing some urgency given the number of arms they’ve already cycled through this season.
Free-Agent Bargain Bin?
Around this time last season, the Blue Jays brought in arms like José Ureña and Spencer Turnbull in attempts to stabilize the starting rotation, though both were gone after only a few appearances.
This time around, the club has already added
Patrick Corbin, who has at least been steady enough to earn a spot in the five-man rotation. But who else is available?
As of this writing, Taijuan Walker remains a potential option after being released by the Philadelphia Phillies this season. Walker pitched a handful of games for the Blue Jays in 2020, though his 9.64 ERA this season is hardly enticing. Still, a change of scenery can sometimes provide a confidence boost, and Walker did post a 1.37 ERA in six starts for Canada’s team.
Other options include Tyler Anderson, who last pitched for the Los Angeles Angels. Anderson was an All-Star in 2024 but struggled last season with a 4.56 ERA while allowing a team-leading 28 home runs. Arms like Michael Kopech and Frankie Montas also remain available, though both carry significant injury histories and would be risky additions for a team already dealing with plenty of health concerns.
In short, nobody can predict the future. Few expected the Blue Jays to make the run they did last season, so the organization must be calculated and creative in how it replaces a Gold Glove-winning arm like José Berríos in the rotation.
At 23-27, the season is far from over, but Ross Atkins and company need to start making moves soon.
