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Blue Jays place Berrios on IL with sore elbow

Blue Jays place Berrios on IL with sore elbow

TORONTO — Toronto right-hander Jose Berrios has inflammation in his elbow and is headed to the injured list for the first time in his major league career, the latest blow for a struggling Blue Jays team.

Toronto has lost six of seven and dropped into a tie with the New York Yankees atop the AL East. The Blue Jays have scored one run or fewer in all six of those defeats.

The Blue Jays promoted right-hander Paxton Schultz from Triple-A Buffalo ahead of their game Thursday against the Boston Red Sox and put Berrios on the 15-day injured list, ruling him out for a potential placement in the Wild Card Series next week.

Manager John Schneider said Berrios has been dealing with the elbow issue for awhile. The 10-year veteran was removed from the rotation last week.

Berrios hasn’t won since Aug. 12 against the Cubs. He had a 6.75 ERA in four September appearances, including two innings of relief against the Red Sox in a 7-1 loss on Wednesday.

Berrios will finish the season with 30 starts, snapping a streak of making at least 32 starts in six consecutive full seasons dating to 2018. Berrios made 12 starts in the pandemic-shortened 60-game season in 2020.