Blue Jays hoping to bring Manoah back for six-man rotation: report
It’s been a nightmare of a season for Alek Manoah, but the Toronto Blue Jays still believe he can help the team as they look to get into the playoffs.
After an incredible season in which he finished third in Cy Young voting thanks to a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts, Manoah was viewed as the Blue Jays’ number-one pitcher heading into 2023. However, he has struggled immensely from the get-go and has been demoted twice as a result.
After his second demotion back on August 11 after the return of Hyun-Jin Ryu, most assumed it was the last we had seen from Manoah in a Blue Jays uniform this season. According to Ross Atkins, however, that may not be the case.
The 50-year-old said earlier today that it is a mutual process between the Blue Jays and Manoah and that he isn’t the club’s sixth starter right now, “but hopefully he returns to that in the coming weeks.”
#BlueJays GM Ross Atkins calls it a “mutual process” between Alek Manoah and the team to take their recent approach…
Manoah is not the No. 6 starter right now, given the time off.
Atkins: “…But hopefully he returns to that in the coming weeks.”
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) August 25, 2023
Manoah has yet to pitch for the Buffalo Bisons since his last demotion, as he recently underwent a wide range of medical tests to see if he was dealing with any structural issues. The tests came back negative and he has since returned to the Bisons and will be re-inserted into their starting rotation. How he fares over his next few starts will likely determine his fate on whether or not he returns to the Blue Jays this season.
As disappointing as the Blue Jays have been this season, their starting pitching hasn’t been a reason. Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassitt, and Yusei Kikuchi have all pitched very well, as has Ryu in the limited action he has seen since returning from injury. That said, if Manoah can return to last season’s form, he would be a very welcomed addition to this Jays rotation.