Blue Jays don't have a timeline for Manoah's return to major leagues

In all likelihood, Alek Manoah will one day be back on the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays.

It’s just not entirely sure when.

The Blue Jays’ 25-year-old starting pitcher was finally sent down to the minor leagues on Tuesday, after an extremely shaky start to his 2023 campaign. Manoah’s been optioned to Toronto’s complex in Dunedin, Florida, as part of the Florida Complex League, the lowest rung of the Minor League Baseball ladder.

While there, Manoah is expected to focus his time in the organization’s “pitching lab,” working on both the physical and mental aspects of his position in order to regain his signature confidence and composure on the mound.

Speaking to the media prior to Tuesday’s contest against the Houston Astros, Toronto manager John Schneider said that there’s no timeline for Manoah’s return to the big league club.

“Whenever he’s ready is when he’s ready,” Schneider said, per MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.

The third-year starter is sporting a record of 1-7 with an ERA of 6.36 and 48 strikeouts in 13 starts this season.

Named a Cy Young finalist for the first time in his career in 2022, Manoah has struggled all season long to command his pitches, with Toronto holding a 4-9 record in games started by him. Expected to be the ace of Toronto’s rotation, Manoah has not won any of his starts since April 5, his second start of the season.

Manoah was not made available to the media on Tuesday, but had perhaps the worst start of his pro career on Monday, getting just one out while giving up six runs to the Houston Astros in an eventual 11-4 blowout loss.

Manoah told reporters “letting my teammates down” has been the toughest part of the season for him following Monday’s outing. “A lot of things I’ve been working on didn’t even have a chance to really go out there and use.”

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