Berrios has strong spring debut for Blue Jays, but communication issues still linger

José Berrios has become an intriguing topic of conversation since the start of the 2025 World Series last October. After suddenly leaving the team before Game 1 without explanation, there seems to be a degree of separation between the Toronto Blue Jays and the veteran pitcher.

Now, that's not to say there's confirmation of a rift or a collapse in the player's relationship with his team. However, the image created for fans through the media's eyes is critical, especially if you want a stress-free time as an athlete. The latest reports on Berrios continue to create buzz despite looking ahead to 2026.

Berrios' spring campaign is off to a good start, but the behind the scenes may need to be tamed sooner than later.

Berrios has strong spring debut for Blue Jays, but communication issues still linger

In his first Spring Training start of 2026, Berrios threw 2.2 innings, where he allowed two earned runs but also racked up two strikeouts and allowed three hits. Postgame, the Puerto Rican native stated he felt "pretty healthy and pretty strong," especially after last spring when it came to his elbow.

Berrios finished the 2025 Spring Training campaign with a 2-0 record and a 2.18 ERA in 20.2 innings pitched. Those numbers indicate a fairly strong spring that carries momentum into the regular season. In other words, they're not essentially reflected when it comes to a potential injury, especially for a pitcher like Berrios, who prior to 2025 had never gone on the IL in his career. But Berrios has also stated recently that at this point last year he had already felt something might not be 100 percent with his elbow.

So when Blue Jays manager John Schneider heard Berrios' comments about his health comparison into 2025, it seemed to catch him a bit off guard, according to Sportsnet's Hazel Mae.

"José's been around long enough," said Schneider. "[Berrios] knows when he's good to go and kind of pull back. If there was ever a point we didn't feel safe or feel good about him throwing, we wouldn't have."

Berrios would go on to have a decent 2025 campaign in the regular season before he was shut down for the playoffs. Finishing with a 9-5 record, Berrios had a 4.17 ERA in 31 games, with 138 strikeouts (good for third among Blue Jays pitchers) in 166.0 innings. Did it look like the elbow was an overall concern in 2025? Not through the fans' eyes, but Berrios knows himself best.

2026 for the Blue Jays and Berrios opened with the latter apologizing for his sudden exit before Game 1 of the World Series. Berrios expressed regret about how the situation unfolded, noting that he returned to Puerto Rico to be close to his family and continue rehabbing his elbow.

At the end of the day, this is what Spring Training is all about. It's the opportunity to build chemistry within the team and get through the trying times for the best possible product in the coming year. Is it ideal that there's another instance of a disagreement between Berrios and the Blue Jays? Probably not, but it's better to be happening now than midway through the season. Nor should there be any more cases of separation, which would add fuel to the fire.

While we'll never truly know what goes on behind the scenes (and probably shouldn't), it's definitely best to show unity and press forward before baseball games count for good.