Red Sox Rival Lose Veteran Pitcher Before Postseason

The Boston Red Sox prevented the Toronto Blue Jays from clinching the American League East by taking two of three games. Toronto sidelined a key pitcher before avoiding a sweep on Thursday.

The Blue Jays placed José Berríos on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation before Thursday’s game. Blue Jays manager John Schneider said the 31-year-old will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of an issue he’s dealt with for a while, per MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.

Berríos will go on the IL for the first time in his 10-year career after making his first relief appearance since 2017 during Wednesday’s 7-1 loss to Boston.

“We’ll see what the MRI says, but it’s probably connected somehow with the stuff,” Schneider said. “Ideally, we’re not trying to put José in the bullpen. If his stuff is where it was in years past, we’re probably not having that conversation. How it all correlates, we’ll see what the MRI says, but he was grinding through it, for sure.”

Berríos pitched effectively to start the season, registering a 3.26 ERA through June. The right-hander allowed three combined runs in three starts against the Red Sox, tossing seven shutout innings on June 27.

He’s since permitted a 5.63 ERA, amassing 49 strikeouts to 19 walks in 64 innings. Berríos has served up 74 hits and 14 home runs while working through diminished velocity, prompting a bullpen move.

The new role didn’t help Berríos turn a corner. He yielded two hits, two walks and three runs in two innings against Boston following a sloppy start from Max Scherzer.

Losing Berríos gives Toronto one less option for its postseason rotation. With Scherzer struggling and Chris Bassitt also sidelined, the Blue Jays may have to get creative after Kevin Gausman and Shane Bieber. They showed a potential blueprint when opener Louis Varland and bulk reliever Eric Lauer combined to pitch 5 1/3 perfect innings against Boston on Thursday.