Toronto Blue Jays pitcher apologizes for 'bad decision' to ditch team during playoffs

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Jose Berrios isn't proud of how he handled his business during last year's World Series run.

After struggling immensely in the second half of 2025, Berrios was demoted to a bullpen role and was soon after placed on the IL before ultimately not being named to the Blue Jays' playoff roster. Berrios was reportedly unhappy with the situation and was noticeably absent throughout the playoffs. 

Many onlookers felt certain that the situation would lead to Berrios being traded this offseason, though that never came to fruition. Instead, Jays manager John Schneider said the two sides have mended their relationship, and based on comments from Berrios on Thursday, it appears they have indeed put their differences in the rear-view.

"Whatever happened last year is already in the past," Berrios said. "I just made one bad decision to go back home to keep working on my rehab and stay close to my family. At that moment, I wasn't pitching, wasn't feeling great, and I wanted to be close to my family.

"I apologize. Maybe I made that bad decision to go back to my home."

As per MLB.com's Keegan Matheson, Berrios has also apologized to his teammates for the fiasco.

José Berríos apologized today and has apologized to his teammates for how 2025 ended.

He says that he chose to go home to rehab in Puerto Rico and be with his family there, but owned that today, calling it a “mistake” and a “bad decision”. #BlueJays pic.twitter.com/CMhn4Fipc8

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) February 12, 2026

Despite last season ending on a sour note, Berrios could still wind up playing a big role for the Blue Jays this season. He posted a 3.60 ERA through 32 starts in 2024, indicating that when healthy, he is still a very good starting pitcher at the MLB level.