Report – Alek Manoah requires surgery on his UCL and will miss the remainder of the 2024 season

The Toronto Blue Jays starting rotation was dealt a major blow earlier today, as it was announced by numerous Jays beat reporters that right-hander Alek Manoah will require surgery on this UCL, ending his season. It is not known at this time whether it is Tommy John surgery or the internal brace procedure but the starter is slated to undergo surgery on June 17th. Depending on the procedure, he could miss some considerable time in 2025 as well.

Manoah left his latest start against the Chicago White Sox after throwing a sinker to Paul DeJong and walking gingerly off the mound, showing discomfort that wasn’t initially known at the time. Originally he was put on the IL with a right elbow sprain but the Florida product was slated to get a second opinion yesterday and it appears that surgery is needed to fix the issue going on within his arm.

Manoah began the 2024 season on the IL after dealing with shoulder inflammation out of Spring Training and returned to the Blue Jays on May 5th, making five starts before landing back on the shelf. The 26-year-old posted a 3.70 ERA through 24 1/3 innings while holding opponents to a .189 batting average and striking out 26 batters compared to eight walks.

After a dismal 2023 season, Manoah was looking to bounce back and find a spot on the Jays rotation out of Spring Training. While his debut against the Nationals did not go smoothly, the right-hander returned to the mound and had two impressive starts that saw him allow just five hits across 14 innings with zero earned runs allowed.

With Manoah heading to the long-term IL, the Jays’ rotation depth will be tested as the club does not possess a ton of depth down in the Minor Leagues. On the 40-man, the Blue Jays can turn to Bowden Francis but the right-hander has struggled out of the starter role so far this campaign and did not have a stellar return from the IL earlier this week.

As well, the Jays have Yariel Rodriguez down in triple-A as he continues to get some innings under his belt after a back injury put him on the injured list so he may be an option in the near future. Rounding out the group, the Jays have Paolo Espino and Adam Macko on the 40-man who can be called upon while Andrew Bash, Aaron Sanchez, Paxton Schultz, and Beau Sulser as starter options down in Buffalo but would require a roster spot. Ricky Tiedemann is also another option but he too is returning from injury and will need some more time to get starter ready before being thrust into any potential big league role.