Blue Jays' Alek Manoah struggles with command in rocky rehab start
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Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah's first rehab start did not go as well as he would have liked.
The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander recorded just one out for the Florida Complex League Blue Jays on Monday as he takes the next step toward a return to the big-league mound.
Manoah faced five batters in the minor-league game, battling his command as he coughed up four runs (three earned) on two walks, a hit batsman and a single.
His lone out was a strikeout in which he mixed in a changeup, fastball and slider. His four-seamer sat around 93-94 m.p.h. as he threw 22 pitches, but just 10 for strikes.
Alek Manoah began a rehab assignment in the FCL this afternoon. Command was understandably rusty, but encouraging to see his velo come close to touching 95 mph.
Alek Manoah's first FCL rehab outing: 0.1IP 3ER 2BB 1K (22 pitches, 10 strikes)
Schneider on 1st start expectations: "Just want to see him get out there, get hot, go through his normal routine, pitch. Have no care whatsoever about results." Results start to matter down the line.
Manoah underwent UCL reconstruction last season after a five-game return to the big leagues in which he posted a 3.70 ERA over 24.1 innings.
His 30-day rehab clock began with Monday's outing, meaning he could return to the MLB club in mid-to-late August.
A native of Homestead, FL, Manoah was originally taken with the 11th overall pick of the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft out of West Virginia.
For his career, Manoah is 29-20 with an earned run average of 3.34 and 1.164 WHIP in 420.0 innings pitched across 75 starts over four seasons. He's struck out 412 batters and walked 158.
Manoah, 27, finished as a Cy Young Award runner-up in 2022 before struggling through 2023, where he shuttled between the minors and majors.
Since his dominant 2022 season, Manoah has thrown only 111.2 innings for the Blue Jays, holding a 5.40 ERA.
Despite the rough outing Manoah remained positive with post on social media after his outing.
Man felt so great to be back out there, hear the National Anthems and toe that rubber. 392 days! Thank you Jesus! Been a long journey, look forward to continuing to get better, have fun and COMPETE everyday!!
| POLL | ||
JUILLET 14 | 141 ANSWERS Blue Jays' Alek Manoah struggles with command in rocky rehab start Do you think Alek Manoah will be a Factor when he returns to the Blue Jays this season? | ||
| Yes | 37 | 26.2 % |
| No | 57 | 40.4 % |
| Too early to tell | 47 | 33.3 % |
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