Report: Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah going for second opinion on injured elbow, ‘likely to miss extended time’
By Zach Laing
1 month agoWhat appeared to be the exciting start of a comeback has come to a screeching halt for Toronto Blue Jays hurler Alek Manoah.
His highs and lows have been well documented over the last year, with his game falling off a cliff in 2023 and his 2024 season starting off with a shoulder injury in Spring Training. It saw him miss a chunk of time before he worked his way back to the Triple-A ranks.
Returning to the big leagues in early May, Manoah made four appearances, posting a 3.97 ERA and 5.55 FIP across 22 and two-third innings. He had allowed a .191 average to opposing batters, posting stellar 23.7 K% and 8.2 BB% rates, but his fifth start of the year saw him run into trouble.
On Wednesday against the Chicago White Sox, he lasted just one and two-thirds innings, striking out three batters. However, his final pitch of the night came when he threw a sinker down and in on Dominic Fletcher for a ball, and Manoah immediately pulled up showing signs of discomfort.
Manoah went for an MRI after the game, and on Friday, TSN’s Scott Mitchell reported Manoah is going for a second opinion, and signs point to him missing an extended period of time.
The news is nothing short of heart-breaking for Manoah.
After the game against the White Sox, he told MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson he was dealing with some discomfort in his previous start against the Tigers, undergoing treatment that left him feeling confident to return to the mound. But early in the game, Manoah told Matheson there was a “pinchy” feeling.
“I just mentally told myself, ‘Stop thinking about it,’” said Manoah. “It’s just a little achy. It’s fine. It mostly bothered me when I extend, so I think that mentally, when I told myself not to think about it, I didn’t guard it and I got more extension than I was on the previous pitches.
“I feel … it sucks,” Manoah added, pausing to collect his thoughts, Matheson wrote. “I have my faith in god. I’ve dealt with a lot of [stuff] this past year to get back to this point. This game is tough.”
On Thursday, the Jays acquired veteran right-hander Ryan Burr in a minor-league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies, assigning him to Triple-A Buffalo. While the 30-year-old hasn’t pitched in the major leagues since 2022, he’s worked as a reliever making 33 appearances over the last two years in Triple-A, posting a 2.70 ERA.
The Blue Jays open a three-game set Friday hosting the Pittsburgh Pirates. Manoah’s was in line for a start next Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles, and there’s no known plan for who could replace him in the rotation.
Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.
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