Blue Jays' Manoah undergoes MRI due to shoulder soreness

Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah will be scratched from Sunday’s start due to right shoulder soreness. He reported the issue to staff during a bullpen session and underwent an MRI shortly after.

As reported by MLB insider Keegan Matheson, the MRI showed no structural damage, which is great news for the 26-year-old and the Blue Jays. They plan on taking things day-by-day for the time being.

News: Alek Manoah felt some shoulder soreness during a bullpen session and cut it short. He “didn’t really bounce back the way he wanted” after his last start.

An MRI showed no structural damage, which is good, but the #BlueJays are taking it day-to-day right now.

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) March 2, 2024

While seeing no structural damage is a great sign, this is another bump in the road for what has already been a rocky spring training for Manoah. There was optimism that the right-hander would bounce back after an ugly 2023 season, but things haven’t started out positively. In his first spring training start on Tuesday, he hit three batters in 1.2 innings while giving up four runs.

Whether Manoah can get things turned around is anyone’s guess at this point. He appeared to be on his way to superstar status in 2022 when he finished the season with a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts. That all fell apart in 2023 when he had a 5.87 ERA in 19 starts and was demoted from the Blue Jays twice.

The good news for the Blue Jays is that they project to have a great starting pitching rotation regardless of whether Manoah gets back on track right now. Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi, and Chris Bassitt were all excellent last season; the same can be expected from them in 2024. If somehow Manoah can turn things around, it would be icing on the cake.

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