Berríos apologized to Blue Jays for leaving during WS: 'Bad decision'

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander José Berríos apologized to his teammates for not being present during last season's World Series, according to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.

"Whatever happened last year is already in the past," the 31-year-old told reporters Thursday. "I just made one bad decision to go back home to keep working on my rehab."

Berríos was absent for the franchise's most important series in 32 years after losing his rotation spot during the final month of the regular season. He didn't pitch in the playoffs after finishing the campaign on the injured list with elbow inflammation.

In December, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said Berríos stepped away from the team after his role was diminished and he was omitted from the World Series roster.

"He was not happy," Atkins said, according to Matheson. "He was disappointed that he wasn't in our rotation. He handled it well, but then when it came down to roster selection, he wasn't on it."

Before last season, Berríos had started all but one of his big-league outings.

The veteran right-hander is expected to begin the regular season in the Blue Jays' rotation, but there's a chance he or someone else is squeezed out when Shane Bieber recovers from forearm fatigue.

Berríos, who has more than $68 million remaining on his contract over the next three seasons, was reportedly discussed in offseason trade rumors.