Blue Jays starter José Berríos has a stress fracture in his elbow but is expected to pitch through it.

The bad news for the Blue Jays is that José Berríos has a stress fracture in his right elbow. The good news? It might sound more alarming than it actually is.

This diagnosis finally brings closure to Berríos's frustrating ordeal. He originally underwent a routine insurance MRI to participate for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, which unexpectedly revealed inflammation in his elbow. Berríos called it "strange" at the time because he felt physically strong, and his spring training performance supported that, but the Toronto Blue Jays have now identified the root cause.

Manager John Schneider called it "relatively good news," and indeed it is. The ligament is not damaged, which is a great starting point. While the word "fracture" often triggers alarm bells, Schneider believes Berríos can pitch through the injury.

"At this point, yes," Schneider said. "That's the goal of the in-person consultation and the consensus he reached with Dr. Keith Meister and our team. Rest for a few days out of caution, then continue pitching."

Schneider is not a doctor and doesn't play one on TV, but given how many Blue Jays pitchers have visited this specialist, he has become quite familiar with Dr. Meister's practice over the years. Schneider indicated that this stress fracture might be the source of the inflammation detected early in spring training this year, and perhaps even the inflammation that led Berríos to his first career MLB injury list placement late last season.

Regardless, the Blue Jays need a plan. If Berríos can indeed pitch through the injury, they must ensure it doesn't worsen.

"We will definitely monitor closely, and in conversations with José, he has reported no pain," Schneider said. "That's a positive. Whether this issue has been persistent or doesn't affect his pitching, it's good, but we will certainly keep an eye on it going forward."

Berríos will not be ready for Opening Day, so he will begin the season on the injury list, creating more questions for the starting rotation. Previously seemingly abundant pitching depth now appears even more necessary, as Shane Bieber has been ramping up slowly due to forearm fatigue from the offseason and has not yet pitched from a mound.

Thus, the currently available starting pitchers include: Kevin Gausman, Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer, Trey Yesavage, Cody Ponce, and Eric Lauer.

Even among these pitchers, there are variables. Yesavage's innings unexpectedly surged to 140 in his rookie season, and the Blue Jays have been managing his workload, ramping him up slowly. He has only pitched two innings and 35 pitches so far this spring, so even if he joins the Opening Day rotation, his innings will be very limited.

The Blue Jays might even occasionally experiment with a six-man rotation, but starting with a six-man setup would limit bullpen depth and seem awkward. All this makes Lauer increasingly important. The left-hander has repeatedly expressed his desire to start, and recent developments make that possibility more likely.

"At the start of spring training, when you say everyone will build up innings, you never know what bumps you'll hit on the road or what alternatives you'll need," Schneider said. "Lauer is definitely a strong candidate for the rotation."

By next week when the Blue Jays fly north to start the new season, the follow-up plan for Berríos should be clearer. For now, it's just another bump the Blue Jays have encountered, fortunately prepared to handle more challenges.