It has been a tough year or so for Alek Manoah. After excelling in 2021 and 2022, the Blue Jays ace had a stunning fall from grace in 2023. On Sunday’s series finale against the Washington Nationals, Alek Manoah made his season debut for the Toronto Blue Jays, his first big-league start since last August.
Jay’s manager John Schneider said Manoah will be reinstated and make his season debut after being sidelined for the first month-plus of the season because of shoulder inflammation.
Alek Manoah's first start back with the Blue Jays:
4 IP, 7 R (6 ER), 6 K, 6 H, 4 BB pic.twitter.com/5iPoxB6vRj
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 5, 2024
Manoah has not pitched in the majors since Aug. 10 after experiencing right shoulder discomfort during a spring training start in late February.
He made five rehab appearances on the minor-league side of things, compiling a dismal 8.69 ERA and a 2.55 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
In Sunday’s 11-8 loss to the Nationals at Nationals Park, the right-hander allowed seven runs (six earned) over four innings of work, capped by a five-run fourth inning that spiraled into his second home run allowed.
Manager Schneider said,
“Today, he was as good as I’ve seen him stuff-wise in a while. I think it’s just about being efficient with that stuff going forward and trying to get deeper into a game.”
In his season debut, he struggled across his five-start rehab assignment. He allowed a run in the third and five more in the fourth, three-run homer included, to turn the 6-1 lead into a 7-6 deficit.
Manoah shared that on his return,
“I don’t think it’s a control thing. It was just me trying to be on the outside corner, trying to be too fine. It’s about understanding I’m not Greg Maddux. I’m not going to be Greg Maddux. My fastball has a great life. I’ve just got to go out there and trust it.”
Manoah finished eighth in the American League Rookie of the Year vote in 2021 and was even better in 2022, as he earned a third-place finish in the AL Cy Young balloting.
