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EspañolWith much of the focus on the Toronto Blue Jays‘ new free-agent addition in Dunedin, Fla., longtime starter José Berríos made a statement of his own in Tampa.
The veteran right-hander pitched four scoreless innings in a split-squad game against the New York Yankees on Saturday.
Making his second appearance of the spring, Berríos upped his velocity to 93.1 m.p.h. with his four-seamer and 92.1 m.p.h. with his two-seamer.
He did not allow a hit while striking out two and walking two.
Back at the Jays’ TD Ballpark, Dylan Cease — signed to a $210-million contract this off-season — recorded five outs, three via strikeout, against the Philadelphia Phillies.
With the additions of Cease and Cody Ponce, Berríos’ rotation spot appeared to be in flux. However, a strong showing could make the case for him to stay — especially with Shane Bieber not yet throwing off a mound and the team taking things slow with Trey Yesavage.
Kevin Gausman, Max Scherzer and Eric Lauer are also in the rotation mix.
Berríos did not appear in the 2025 post-season after ending the regular season with his first-ever IL stint due to what he later discovered was a torn biceps tendon.
He had gotten off to a typically reliable start last with a 3.26 ERA over his first 17 appearances, but he faltered down the stretch with a 5.63 mark over his final 14 games.
The pitcher stepped away from the team during the World Series, but apologized to his Blue Jays teammates for what he called a “bad decision” upon his arrival at camp this spring.
The 31-year-old ended 2025 with a 4.17 ERA over 166 innings and 31 appearances.
It was the fewest starts and innings that Berríos had thrown in a full season since 2017. He had made exactly 32 starts in six of the previous seven seasons, with the lone exception being the shortened 2020 campaign.
