Alek Manoah’s stint in the minor leagues is over, as Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced on Tuesday that the right-hander will draw the start for Friday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
Manoah was demoted all the way down to the Florida Complex League on June 6 after posting a 6.36 ERA in 13 starts at the MLB level in 2023. He made two starts in the minors, getting shelled for 11 runs in his FCL outing on June 27 before faring much better in a one-run, 10-strikeout performance with Double-A New Hampshire on Monday.
Whether or not Manoah is fully ready to return to an MLB mound remains to be seen, but Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reported the 25-year-old’s fastball was sitting at 93 mph in Monday’s game and the 2019 first-round draft pick was feeling ready to help the Blue Jays win.
Still, Manoah walked three batters over five innings and threw only 47 of his 82 pitches for strikes. His lack of command was one of the biggest reasons for his demotion, as he was walking 6.5 batters per nine innings in his 13 MLB games (anything higher than 4.0 is considered “awful,” per FanGraphs).
The Tigers represent a soft landing spot for Manoah, as they rank third-worst in the majors in both batting average and runs per game. Detroit is also a popular destination for travelling Blue Jays fans, so Manoah could get a lift from the crowd despite it being a road start.
It’s unrealistic to expect Manoah to return to the form that made him an All-Star and American League Cy Young finalist in 2022, but his presence could still be a major boost for a Blue Jays team that has underperformed through the first half of the season.
The Blue Jays have mainly been using a four-man rotation in Manoah’s absence, with Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi picking up the slack. Reliever Trevor Richards has chipped in to lead bullpen days when necessary.
