In their sweep against the White Sox, Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah is once again close to being declared out for a set of games in the 2024 season after he was removed from the 3-1 win at Guaranteed Rate Field. It was an excellent show from Manoah, had it not been for his tough injury that has definitely left a sour note in the win.

The same discomfort was already felt in Manoah’s last outing against the Detroit Tigers, but he had a quick treatment and was confident in the next game. The pitcher described it as a “pinchy feeling” at the time, and said that he could feel like he would fully extend his elbow in a single pitch.

“I just mentally told myself, ‘Stop thinking about it,’” Manoah said. “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.”

So when he threw a 91.4 mph sinker over to Dominic Fletcher in the second inning for ball one, he definitely felt something was wrong as he bounced off the mount with catcher Alejandro Kirk heading for the same spot. The Blue Jays would later take out Manoah out of the game for good through the dugout tunnel.

Confident Recovery Ahead of the MRI from Manoah

Since making his MLB debut in 2021, Manoah has been one of the most efficient players for the Toronto Blue Jays, amassing a total of 409 strikeouts as of the time of writing and an ERA of 3.36 for his whole career. The pitcher expressed his worry about how the injury might keep him out of games, but remains confident that he can get back into the game soon as well.

“I feel … it sucks,” Manoah said of his injury. “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.” Manoah is slated to meet with doctors in Toronto and will undergo an MRI to determine the extent of his injury, which should clarify whether or not he will be out for a lengthy period of time.

Manoah’s health has always been one of the biggest concerns in the game for the Blue Jays. That is the first priority for the team considering the fact that this isn’t the first time that he has faced adversity in injuries. It can be remembered that Manoah was sent to the Triple A first with the hopes of getting him back into his groove with some promising starts with their affiliate team.

What’s Next for the Blue Jays with Manoah Out?

It is expected to see the likes of Bowden Francis to take over the starting role in the meantime. He can be a traditional starter or even a tandem pitcher with whoever is available on the 40-man roster, with Yariel Rodriguez being the most likely option for the team at this point as the Cuban right-hander just finished with a promising game last week in the Triple-A. This is a position that is quite hard to fill in, with top prospect Ricky Tiedemann currently out with an ulnar nerve inflammation in his left elbow.

The Blue Jays can hope to try tapping into veteran pitcher Paolo Espino as well. There’s also Adam Macko – who has been on a great groove this season but is still working on his comeback with the Double-A.

As of the time of writing, the Toronto Blue Jays are currently ranked 11th in the American League. The team has seen some tough struggles over the past few months with the way they have waded the waters of injuries, and it seems that there is more to expect from the team in the coming months should Manoah get healthy soon.

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