José Berríos will pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays on Opening Day when they kick off their season in Tampa Bay against the Rays on March 28, manager John Schneider said on Tuesday.
The Blue Jays are dealing with a rash of injuries on the mound, including a shoulder injury to ace Kevin Gausman, which ruled him out for the Opening Day job.
Berríos has enjoyed a strong spring training, starting four games and pitching 13 innings to the tune of a 1.38 ERA. He has nine strikeouts so far in spring ball and could make one more Grapefruit League appearance on March 22 or 23.
This will be Berríos’ second Opening Day start with the Blue Jays after being selected to take the mound in 2022 against the Texas Rangers. He struggled, allowing four runs and recording just one out.
Following a disappointing 2022 season, his first full season in Toronto, Berríos bounced back with the Blue Jays last year, finishing with an 11-12 record and a solid 3.65 ERA in 189 and two-thirds innings pitched. He also earned the first Gold Glove of his career.
Alek Manoah got the nod for Opening Day in 2023, giving up five runs and lasting only three and one-third innings. Manoah will also be sidelined to start the season as he deals with a shoulder issue.
Zach Eflin will take the mound for the Tampa Bay Rays as they also deal with a shorthanded rotation without the likes of Shane McLanahan, Shane Baz and Taj Bradley.
The Blue Jays open their season with 10 straight games on the road (Tampa, Houston and then New York) before their home opener on Monday, April 8 against the Seattle Mariners.
MLB also released the rest of the Opening Day matchups on Tuesday.
The first game of the day will be between Jose Quintana of the New York Mets and Freddy Peralta of the Milwaukee Brewers.
Highlighting the festivities could be the superstar duel between the Philadelphia Phillies’ Zack Wheeler and Atlanta Braves’ Spencer Strider. At the same time, the Baltimore Orioles’ prized off-season acquisition, Corbin Burnes, will make his regular season debut against Patrick Sandoval and the Los Angeles Angels.
