Jose Berrios understands he could’ve handled things a little bit differently at the end of the 2025 season.
Speaking to reporters at spring training on Thursday, the Toronto Blue Jays pitcher elaborated on his choice to step away from the team at the end of the 2025 season and not stick around for the World Series run, calling it a “bad decision.”
“Last year, I wasn’t there. Whatever happened last year is already in the past. Just maybe one bad decision to go back home to keep working on my rehab and stay close to my family,” Berrios explained. “At that moment, I wasn’t pitching, I wasn’t feeling great, and I wanted to be close to my family. I don’t bring them to Canada because they’re gonna miss days in school. I think of that.
“But, like I say, I apologize. Maybe I made one bad decision to go back to my home.”
After struggling down the stretch of the campaign, the 31-year-old was placed on the injured list on Sept. 25 with right elbow inflammation and didn’t return for the team’s October run.
He did, however, watch the Blue Jays’ push to the World Series, but felt he couldn’t be there in the capacity he perhaps wanted to be.
“Seeing our guys doing what they were doing in the month of October, it was impressive,” he said. “Because I already know — at that moment I was shut down, mentally — keep working on my rehab, keep watching my teammates doing their thing. It was impressive.”
The decision to put Berrios on the IL came after he was moved to the bullpen for the first time since 2017 — his first full season in the majors while with the Minnesota Twins. He ended the year with a 4.17 ERA and 1.301 WHIP in 166.0 innings over 31 appearances (30 starts).
“I understand why I was out of the rotation,” Berrios said of that choice.
However, he explained that his decision to return home instead of staying with the team in October was more based on wanting to be with family and working on himself rather than an internal feud.
“I think if my kid was not in school, I would’ve stayed there. But they were in school, they wanted to come to Toronto because they wanted to win with me, but at the same time, I wouldn’t be able to throw in a game. I don’t wanna waste days of school,” Berrios explained. “So that’s why I made that decision. I think being close to my family was better for me, and (it wasn’t). I think I made a bad decision, but I die with that decision.”
