Blue Jays Place José Berríos on 15-Day IL

The Toronto Blue Jays placed veteran right-hander José Berríos on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation — the first IL stint of his 10-year MLB career — and he is scheduled for an MRI to determine the extent and timetable for a return. Berríos, who had been moved to the bullpen, recently threw two relief innings in which he allowed three earned runs and has shown declining velocity and results in recent weeks, manager John Schneider said. The club promoted Paxton Schultz from Triple-A to take the bulk relief role and will announce a corresponding 40-man roster move. The IL placement rules Berríos out of the immediate Wild Card Series picture and could jeopardize his postseason availability even if an October return is hypothetically possible. The setback intensifies Toronto’s struggles — the club has lost six of seven games and is tied with New York atop the AL East — and ends Berríos’s streak of at least 32 starts as he is 9-5 with a 4.17 ERA and 138 strikeouts in 166 innings this season.