Blue Jays' Alek Manoah expected to start in Buffalo this weekend

The Toronto Blue Jays’ ramp-up plan for Alek Manoah has found a new home in Buffalo.

After a tough start to his season with Single-A Dunedin, it appears that Manoah will be taking the mound at Sahlen Field this Saturday when the Buffalo Bisons take on the visiting Rochester Red Wings.

According to TSN’s Scott Mitchell, Manoah himself shared the news of his start plan. He’s currently in Toronto with the team for their first home series of the year.

Alek Manoah tells me plan is for him to start Saturday at Triple-A Buffalo with about 75 pitches in the tank.#BlueJays

— Scott Mitchell (@ScottyMitchTSN) April 9, 2024

While he didn’t have a hard pitch count, Manoah will have “about 75 pitches in the tank”, per Mitchell.

After suffering a shoulder injury in Spring Training, the 26-year-old started the MLB season on the 15-day disabled list.

In an attempt to work his way back from the injury, Manoah had his first rehab start on April 7 in Single-A with the Dunedin Blue Jays against the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

The result was less than desirable, as Manoah lasted just 1.2 innings, giving up six earned runs on five hits and four walks, including one home run.

After an electric 2022 campaign where he finished as a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award, 2023 probably couldn’t have gone much worse for Manoah.

Manoah had a 3-9 record with an ERA of 5.87 in 19 appearances last season, pitching just 87.1 innings for the Blue Jays in 2023. Expected to be one of the aces of the team’s rotation, Manoah never quite found his footing and wound up bouncing up and down between the MLB and minor leagues for much of the year. Manoah last pitched at the major league level on August 10.

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