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Alek Manoah hopes to return to Blue Jays’ rotation for stretch run in 2025
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Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
Thomas Hall
Jan 3, 2025, 12:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 3, 2025, 12:03 EST
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If Alek Manoah has his way in 2025, the 26-year-old hurler will be back pitching for the Toronto Blue Jays down the stretch as they attempt to return to the playoffs following major disappointments in ’24 that saw the club finish last in the AL East at 74-88.
The right-handed starter is expected to miss the first half of next season while recovering from a hybrid Tommy John procedure — combining the traditional surgery with an internal brace — that prematurely ended his fourth major league campaign. He underwent surgery on his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) last June, receiving a 12-14-month recovery timeline post-operation.
But things have been extremely positive for Manoah almost seven months later, as the 2022 All-Star admitted on the latest Deep Left Field podcast episode with the Toronto Star’s Mike Wilner. He’s taking things day by day, believing that his hard work will result in a significant payoff next summer.
“It’s been going great, honestly. I thank the lord for so much, for everything, through this process up to now,” Manoah told Wilner. “I’ve just really been putting my head down and working my tail off. Just grateful to see weekly progressions. It’s even crazy to think back right now, you just said seven months, and for me it’s just week after week, day after day, just stacking those.”
Most traditional Tommy John surgeries are accompanied by a 12-18 month recovery timeline, with some stretching even longer. In recent examples, the insertion of a brace, which adds improved strength to the newly inserted ligament, has been shown to help accelerate the healing process — a trend Manoah certainly hopes continues.
Neither he nor the team has set a strict timetable for his 2025 return, although that hasn’t stopped him from visualizing what that could entail.
“I [just want] to help as much as I can for the last two months of the season,” Manoah said. “That’s what I’m striving for. Get bullpens in March, live [batting practices] in June, and then get some rehabs going. Hopefully be in a position to help this team down the stretch.”
It’s been a few years since Manoah was at his best, delivering an All-Star performance in 2022 that resulted in a third-place finish in American League Cy Young voting, thanks to his 2.24 ERA (fourth-lowest among qualified big-league starters) and 180 strikeouts across 31 starts. While he’s been knocked down the mountain multiple times since then, resulting in two minor-league demotions in ’23, it seemed he had finally found his footing again before undergoing surgery last season.
Despite a season-opening IL stint due to a shoulder injury, the 6-foot-6 righty returned to the majors on May 5, only to be shelled for seven runs (six earned) on six hits and four walks over four innings against the Washington Nationals. But he responded quite well from that miserable outing, tossing consecutive seven-inning performances — one versus the Minnesota Twins and the other against the Tampa Bay Rays — allowing zero earned runs and only two walks while striking out 13.
Manoah’s next start, however, signalled cause for concern.
Amidst a considerable velocity dip, he was tagged for six runs (four earned) across 4.2 innings versus the Detroit Tigers. Then, in his fifth and final start of 2025, his fastball velocity fell for a second straight outing, which was cut short after an inning and two-thirds against the Chicago White Sox due to discomfort in his right elbow.
“Mentality-wise, and passion-wise and heart-wise, and competitive-wise, 100 per cent I was there. Stuff-wise 100 per cent was there. But mechanically it was still kind of off,” said Manoah.
From a mechanical standpoint, Manoah hasn’t been the same since 2022. He’s dealt with inconsistent command, leading to his 14.2-per-cent walk rate — third-highest among qualified major-league starters with at least 80 innings pitched — and 15 home runs allowed in ’23.
Recently, though, it’s felt like he has a new arm. He said the surgery has made it feel much lighter, allowing him to return to the same arm slot and release point he featured in college at West Virginia and during his first two seasons with the Blue Jays.
That’s a significant development for the 11th-overall selection from 2019, who could act as a mid-season acquisition if he fulfills his goal of making a second-half return — just as former teammate Hyun Jin Ryu did in ’23 following his Tommy John surgery.
“I mean, I don’t want to overstimulate, ’cause obviously these rehabs are so long for a reason. Like you said, there could be bumps in the road, there could be a bump right now that I don’t see coming,” said Manoah. “But that is something that, every morning when I wake up, my alarm goes off every morning, I tell myself, This is what we’re doing it for. It’s to go win a World Series next year, it’s to go be a deadline acquisition for the Toronto Blue Jays.”
Manoah plans to help Toronto in whatever way possible next season. But assuming the franchise acquires at least one starter between now and Opening Day, there’s a chance his role may lie in the bullpen rather than the starting rotation.
Injuries could have a say, even as healthy as the club’s starters have been in recent years. Still, with Yariel Rodríguez in the mix and top prospect Ricky Tiedemann also returning from Tommy John surgery, Manoah’s duties might look a little different upon his eventual 2025 debut.

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