Alek Manoah left Wednesday’s begin in opposition to the White Sox within the second inning. The workforce introduced he skilled elbow discomfort. Supervisor John Schneider advised the Toronto beat after the sport that Manoah will get an MRI on Thursday (X hyperlink by way of MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson).
Manoah misplaced the primary month of the season after battling shoulder discomfort throughout the spring. He was reinstated on Might 5 and has taken the ball 5 occasions. The burly right-hander was out to an encouraging begin to the season, working to a 3.70 ERA with 26 strikeouts and eight walks throughout 24 1/3 innings. Manoah wasn’t again to his Cy Younger finalist type of 2022, but it surely was a considerable enchancment over final 12 months’s disappointing season.
There’s little to be accomplished now past hoping that imaging doesn’t reveal any structural issues. Manoah’s fastball sat within the typical 92-93 mph vary throughout the first inning. He didn’t prime 90 mph within the second inning till throwing Dominic Fletcher a 91.4 MPH sinker to begin his at-bat. Manoah appeared to wince after releasing that pitch and departed the sport following a mound go to (video offered on X by Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi). Trevor Richards got here in for 3 1/3 scoreless innings of emergency reduction to assist Toronto to a 3-1 victory.
The Jays are working with restricted rotation depth behind their entrance 5 of Kevin Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt and Manoah. Offseason signee Yariel Rodríguez has been on the injured checklist since April 30 with again irritation. Bowden Francis, who opened the season within the rotation when Manoah was on the shelf, has been out for the final month with forearm tendinitis.
Rodríguez and Francis are every on rehab stints with Triple-A Buffalo. Whereas each pitchers must be again earlier than lengthy, they’ve every obtained questions on their viability as starters. Rodríguez barely pitched in 2023 as he went by means of the method of making use of without spending a dime company. He pitched out of the bullpen in Japan two seasons in the past. Francis was rocked in his first two MLB begins this 12 months and shortly kicked to multi-inning reduction, the place he had extra success final season.
Paolo Espino, who has a 4.81 ERA over eight begins with Buffalo, is the one different conventional starter on the 40-man roster. Toronto introduced again outdated buddy Aaron Sanchez on a minor league deal earlier this month, however he has given up 17 runs in 10 2/3 Triple-A innings. Beau Sulser, one other latest non-roster acquisition, has surrendered 12 runs in 14 1/3 Triple-A innings in a swing function. High prospect Ricky Tiedemann is again on the minor league IL due to a nerve subject in his elbow.
If Manoah must go on the injured checklist, Espino appears the logical selection to carry the fort till Rodríguez is able to return. Toronto’s rotation would look perilously skinny within the occasion of every other accidents. Whereas the Jays benefitted from outstanding rotation well being final season, they relied on Richards to kick off a couple of bullpen video games final summer time whereas Manoah was within the minors. Maybe they’d have a look at that as one other short-term answer, however beginning pitching would doubtless be a deadline precedence if the Jays are within the postseason image in July.
