Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah (6) steps off the mound before being pulled by manager John Schneider (14) against the Houston Astros in first inning American League MLB baseball action in Toronto on Monday, June 5, 2023. There's no firm date for pitcher Alek Manoah's return to the Blue Jays starting rotation. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Lahodynskyj
TORONTO – There’s no firm date for pitcher Alek Manoah’s return to the Blue Jays starting rotation.
Toronto manager John Schneider says that Manoah has been making progress in his minor-league stint.
The 25-year-old right-hander was demoted from the majors on June 6 after going 1-7 with a 6.36 earned-run average over 13 starts.
Schneider says that Manoah has been focusing on his delivery and throwing strikes at the Blue Jays’ training facility in Dunedin, Fla.
Manoah was Toronto’s first-round pick in the 2019 amateur draft. He was selected 11th overall out of West Virginia.
After going 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA while making his big-league debut with 20 starts in 2021, the six-foot-six hurler went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts last year. He finished third in American League Cy Young Award voting.
In his last start for the Blue Jays on June 5, Manoah didn’t make it out of the first inning against the Houston Astros. He was booed by home fans after allowing six runs and seven hits and recording only one out.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 23, 2023.
