Toronto Blue Jays make an announcement regarding Alek Manoah

According to Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, Manoah threw 25 pitchers to live hitters and touched 95 mph. He's expected to throw two innings in his next session.

Matheson added that if the Blue Jays need rotation help down the stretch, they're more likely to address it at the trade deadline, with Manoah positioned as the "next of line defense."

He also drew a comparison to Hyun Jin Ryu's 2023 return, suggesting Manoah could similarly provide a late-season boost.

Still, the broader goal is setting up the former All-Star for long-term success.

Manoah, 27, underwent Tommy John surgery on June 18, 2024.

He's dazzled at times in his career, earning an All-Star nod in 2022 and finishing third in AL Cy Young voting after posting a 2.24 ERA with 180 strikeouts over 196 2/3 innings.

Since then, however, he's struggled to recapture that dominance, pitching to a 5.40 ERA across 111 2/3 innings (24 starts) over the past two seasons.

If all goes well and Garcia pitches in Triple-A this weekend, he should be able to return at some point during the Yankees series, and his timing couldn't be better.

Yes, this is partly a Jeff Hoffman conversation. The Blue Jays' closer has struggled lately, posting an 8.50 ERA over 18 innings of work since that dominant April.

Zooming out a bit, though, this is also about the foundation of the later innings in the Blue Jays' bullpen, which has completely changed from Spring Training.

Erik Swanson is gone, released earlier this week after battling injuries and his performance.

Chad Green has allowed 10 home runs already, his 4.36 ERA not quite capturing how unsteady it's been.

Even Brendon Little, who has at times been one of the most impressive lefties in baseball, has run into some walk troubles lately.

This bullpen doesn't just need Garcia, it needs the very best version of him. We saw that version in early 2024, and he's looked sharp for much of this season, too, so it's still in there if Garcia can stay healthy.