Toronto Blue Jays' Right-Hander Dealing with Shoulder Injury as He Works on Comeback

Former American League Cy Young finalist Alek Manoah is trying to get his career back on track for the Toronto Blue Jays following a horrific 2023 season. Though he entered camp as the favorite for the fifth starters spot, he struggled in his first start of the spring, and is now dealing with a shoulder injury.

As Alek Manoah works to get his career back on track for the Toronto Blue Jays, he's suffered a setback in his shoulder.

Per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet:

Alek Manoah felt some soreness in his right shoulder during a bullpen session yesterday so Blue Jays are bumping him from tomorrow’s start. No structural damage and Jays hope the break required is short-term per mgr John Schneider

Alek Manoah felt some soreness in his right shoulder during a bullpen session yesterday so Blue Jays are bumping him from tomorrow’s start. No structural damage and Jays hope the break required is short-term per mgr John Schneider

— Ben Nicholson-Smith (@bnicholsonsmith) March 2, 2024

It's certainly good news that there's no long-term concerns, but for a player who needs a strong spring in order to hold onto the No. 5 spot in the rotation, any setback is bad news.

Manoah, who had a disastrous 2023 season, came into camp with a tenuous grip on that No. 5 spot, and then struggled mightily in his spring debut, giving up four earned runs in 1.2 innings and hitting three batters.

The 26-year-old went 3-9 in 2023 with a 5.87 ERA and struck out just 79 batters in 87.1 innings a year after being the Blue Jays Game 1 starter in the playoffs. He also was sent to the minor leagues on multiple occasions.

There were complaints about his fitness levels and his inability to adjust to the new pitch clock. He has appeared to be in much better shape entering this season, though that hasn't stopped his arm from experiencing this discomfort.

All that said, he's still young, and is under team control through 2027, so you understand why Toronto didn't want to sell low on him this offseason - or perhaps sell at all. He went 16-7 in 2022 with a 2.24 ERA. He was an All-Star and finished third in the American League Cy Young voting.

The Blue Jays figure to have Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Berrios in the rotation already. If Manoah continues to struggle or this injury lingers, the newly-signed Yariel Rodriguez is an option, though he's been bothered by back spasms early in camp. 

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