As the baseball world heads to Atlanta for next week’s All-Star festivities, Alek Manoah and Daulton Varsho will be returning to game action in the Florida Complex League.

Manoah and Varsho will each begin FCL rehab assignments in Dunedin on Monday, manager John Schneider told reporters Friday in Sacramento. Thus, it’ll mark the beginning of 30-day rehab clocks for both players.

First time out, Manoah will be aiming to throw multiple innings in his first live game (at any level) since rupturing the UCL in his right elbow on May 29, 2024. He’ll likely require five or six rehab outings before his starter’s build-up can continue in the majors.

Going off that timeframe, there’s a chance Manoah could re-enter Toronto’s starting rotation by mid-to-late August. As with any elbow-related injury, though, that timetable remains extremely fluid.

In five major league starts last season, the 27-year-old righty pitched to a 3.70 ERA and 5.18 FIP with eight walks and 26 strikeouts, spanning 24.1 innings. It’s been a long, winding road since his AL Cy Young finalist performance in 2022.

Varsho, out since May 31 due to a hamstring strain, could rejoin the Blue Jays’ lineup out of the All-Star break if all goes well with his rehab games. He’s been taking batting practice and running the bases in Dunedin over the past week-plus since recovering from a minor setback.

The 29-year-old opened this season on the IL while recovering from off-season shoulder surgery. But the left-handed-hitting outfielder provided a massive spark at the plate following his return, blasting eight home runs with 20 RBIs and a .543 slugging percentage across 24 games before returning to the shelf.

Where Varsho’s presence has been missed most, of course, is in centre field, where he captured his first-career Gold Glove Award last season. In his absence, the club has utilized a combination of Myles Straw, Nathan Lukes, George Springer and Jonatan Clase.

Having Varsho potentially return as early as next Friday against the San Francisco Giants would be massive for a Blue Jays squad that enters the final series of the unofficial first half leading the AL East by two games.