Blue Jays moving Berríos to bullpen

Toronto Blue Jays starter José Berríos will be available to pitch out of the bullpen going forward, manager John Schneider said following Friday's 20-1 loss to the Kansas City Royals, according to Sportsnet's Arden Zwelling.

While Berríos will be deployed as a reliever for now, he remains in consideration to start at some point in the future, Schneider added.

"He can still start for us," Schneider said, per Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. "But with where we are right now, he can be an option out of the 'pen, too."

Berríos has made two relief appearances during his 10-year career, both in 2017 as a member of the Minnesota Twins. He came out of the bullpen for one regular-season game in late September, then allowed three runs in three innings of relief during the Twins' AL wild-card game loss to the New York Yankees.

The 31-year-old has been a durable starter throughout his career, making at least 30 starts in each of the last seven full seasons.

This year, however, Berríos has struggled at times. He owns a 4.06 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 164 innings and gave up at least six earned runs and nine hits in four of his 30 starts.

Toronto has a glut of starters after acquiring Shane Bieber and promoting top pitching prospect Trey Yesavage. The bullpen has also been struggling down the stretch, and Berríos may be able to give the unit a boost heading into the postseason.

"It's not comfortable, a guy who's had so many consecutive starts," Schneider said, according to Zwelling, adding that Berríos understood the decision. "I think the position that we're in now warrants some tough conversations at times. We're trying to do what we can to win as many games as we can right now."

Berríos is in the fourth season of a seven-year, $131-million contract and is earning $18 million this year. He can opt out of the deal after next season.

Friday's loss dropped the Blue Jays to 89-65, although they continue to own the American League's best record and a three-game lead on the Yankees in the AL East.