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The Toronto Blue Jays have endured a mediocre start to the 2024 season. Toronto may receive a starting pitching boost soon, however.
2022 All-Star Alek Manoah is reportedly nearing a return from injury. According to MLB.com, Manoah, who is battling right shoulder soreness, could return in early May. Manoah recently struck out 12 batters in a rehab game, something that caught Blue Jays manager John Schneider’s attention.
“There’s multiple, multiple options,” Schneider said, via MLB.com. “I think Alek is kind of the elephant in the room because of his performance last night and the fact that he’s pitched really well here.”
Schneider expressed confidence in Manoah before spring training. The Blue Jays right-handed pitcher was in better shape and was seemingly on the verge of a bounce-back campaign following his down 2023 season. Toronto was hopeful that he’d re-emerge as the Cy Young candidate he was in 2022.
In early March, it was revealed that Manoah was dealing with a shoulder issue. The Blue Jays are still optimistic about Manoah. Although, there is no denying the fact that he struggled mightily in 2023 after finishing the season with a 5.87 ERA across 19 outings.
However, in 2022 he recorded a stellar 2.24 ERA over 31 starts. He ended up earning American League Cy Young consideration as a result. He ultimately finished third in voting.
Will Alek Manoah bounce back after injury return?
It is difficult to predict how the remainder of Manoah’s 2024 season will go. He’s pitched for three years in the big leagues now, two of which were successful. But the wheels fell off in what ended up being a forgettable 2023 season.
The Blue Jays are proceeding with patience in reference to Manoah’s return. They want to ensure that he is completely ready before promoting him to the MLB team.
Again, Manoah struck out 12 hitters in his latest rehab start. That is impressive regardless of which level you are pitching at. Manoah clearly still features the talent to compete at a high level.
Command will probably determine how Manoah fares moving forward. During his rookie season in 2021, Manoah walked just 8.7 percent of hitters he faced, per Baseball Reference. He was even better during his terrific 2022 campaign, finishing with a 6.5 percent walk-rate.
As you can probably guess, Manoah’s walk-rate sky-rocketed during his difficult 2023 season. He ended up walking 14.2 percent of hitters he faced.
Manoah’s strikeout rate also decreased. Additionally, opponents were hitting the ball harder against Manoah in 2023 as compared to his first couple of seasons in MLB.
So commanding his pitches will be of the utmost importance. Avoiding walks is one thing, but being able to properly locate strikes is another element of it all that cannot be overlooked.
Blue Jays’ 2024 season
The Blue Jays should be able to compete in 2024. Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios lead a fairly reliable starting rotation. Toronto’s bullpen has more than enough weapons to succeed.
The offense has potential, but players such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette have slumped to begin the ’24 season. Toronto will need their stars to step up as the campaign continues.
In the end, there is reason to still believe in this Blue Jays team. Perhaps Alek Manoah will play a role in helping Toronto get back on track.
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