Manoah lit up in Single-A start with Blue Jays affiliate
Things have not gotten off to a good start for former Toronto Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah.
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 today in Single-A with the Dunedin Blue Jays against the Lakeland Flying Tigers.
The result was nightmarish, as Manoah lasted just 1.2 innings where he gave up six earned runs on five hits, including one home run.
Alek Manoah's final line in his Single-A Dunedin #BlueJays rehab start:
1.2 IP ā¢ 7 R (6 ER), 5 H, 4 BB, 2 K
ā¢ 1 HR
ā¢ 58 pitches (26 strikes)A lot of deliveries that didn't look the same.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) April 7, 2024
It appears the injury he is trying to work through could still be affecting his ability to pitch. In his short time on the mound, only 26 of his 58 pitches were called strikes.
Some of his pitches were just downright ugly to watch.
Manoah time pic.twitter.com/rtM7JWl1lu
— Brennan Delaney (@Brennan_L_D) April 7, 2024
Trade rumours swirled around Manoah’s name during the offseason, but the Jays opted to hold onto their former ace. The hope was that he could eventually rediscover a little bit of the spark that helped him finish third place in Cy Young voting in 2022.Ā
Unfortunately, when Manoah has had the chance to play, that doesn’t appear to be happening yet. He only appeared in one Spring Training game this year, where he managed to hit three batters and allowed a couple of doubles in just 1.2 innings before being injured.
Alek Manoah's first Spring Training start:
1.2 IP
3 H
4 ER
3 HBP
1 BB
0 SO pic.twitter.com/ehzdAj5Qv2— StatMuse MLB (@statmusemlb) February 27, 2024
There is no doubt that Monoah possessed the talent to be one of the best-starting pitchers in the Major Leagues at one point in his career. Whether or not that talent is still percolating beneath a string of issues is yet to be seen.
Early returns this season have not looked promising.
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