It turns out Jos茅 Berr铆os isn’t indestructible after all.
In his 10th major-league season, the right-hander has been placed on the injured list for the first time in his career. The Blue Jays made the move before Thursday’s series finale with the Boston Red Sox, with rookie Paxton Schultz called up to take his place on the active roster.
“Jos茅 Berr铆os is going to get an MRI on his elbow,” manager John Schneider said during his pre-game meeting with the media Thursday. “Right elbow inflammation, something he’s been dealing with for a while.”
Berr铆os聽had been struggling through a terrible September, posting a 6.75 ERA while聽being removed from the starting rotation, a huge blow for someone who had never missed a start in his big-league career. He had only pitched out of the bullpen once, as a tune-up for the playoffs on the final day of the 2017 season with the Minnesota Twins, before he pitched in relief Wednesday and allowed a three-run home run to Boston’s Carlos Narv谩ez in the eighth inning.
Prior to the manager’s revelation, Berr铆os met with a gaggle of reporters that wanted to talk about his first relief appearance in eight years.
Jays had a four-game lead in AL East with the Yankees 7 days ago, but New York has now grabbed a
“Close to maybe 80, 90 per cent (physically),” he said. ”This year for me so far has been really tough, but that鈥檚 part of the game, that鈥檚 part of life. I have to make adjustments and deal with it.”
There will be nothing but rest for at least a few days, depending on what the MRI shows.
The 31-year-old did hint that something was up, saying there is something physical that has been preventing him from getting to the proper release point with his pitches.
”(The elbow issue) probably is connected somehow with the stuff and things like that,” Schneider said. “Ideally we’re not trying to put Jos茅 in the bullpen. I think if his stuff was where it has been in years past, we’re probably not having that conversation. How it correlates, we’ll see what the MRI says, but he’s been grinding through it, for sure.”
Cruel game
The Jays have been grinding, as well, having lost six of seven heading into Thursday’s game and scoring just five total runs in those six losses.
Schneider聽is starting to get philosophical about it.
“The season is 鈥 it’ll chew you up, it’ll spit you out,” he said. “It’ll make you believe some things that aren’t true, make you see things that aren’t (bleeping) true. It’s a real thing, you know? We’ve just got to concentrate on what we’ve been good at all year.
Apple TV+ has exclusive broadcast rights to stream the game against the Tampa Bay Rays.
”(I) thought Sunday’s game in Kansas City (an 8-5 win that clinched a playoff spot) would get us going a little bit. That was kind of what we’ve been doing most of the year. But again, I think this game can lead you down some weird paths. It can hurt you. It can taunt you.”
Right now, baseball is absolutely thumbing its nose at the Jays.
Letting them hear it聽
When the umpiring crew took the field before Thursday’s game, there was a loud chorus of boos from the crowd of 42,129.
It wasn’t your usual fun razzing of the officiating crew because they’re the “bad guys,” there was genuine anger from Jays fans who feel as though their team has been getting shafted by the men in blue over the past week and change.
George Springer hit a ground ball down the third-base line that was very clearly foul in the first inning and the crowd let third-base umpire Gabe Morales have it.
Morales was working the plate Wednesday and ejected Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and hitting coach David Popkins in the seventh inning. There was also a controversial call at third on Tuesday, when Springer’s ground ball that appeared to go over the bag was called foul, negating what would have been a two-run double, at least.
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