It Appears that Alek Manoah Won't Pitch Again This Year At All

It appears as if the season for Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah is over.

Manoah, who has had a terrible campaign, was sent to the team's Florida Complex League to work on things earlier this year. He came back to the big leagues, only to be sent back to Triple-A Buffalo, where he's yet to pitch.

The following report comes from Ben Nicholson-Smith of SportsNet Canada:

Manoah got further medical testing done last week, meeting with multiple specialists to determine the severity of wear and tear on his knee, back, and right quad. No structural damage was found, so the team kept the door open to triple-A in the hopes that the right-hander would continue providing organizational depth as the big-league team pushes for the playoffs.

However, one source said Manoah’s lingering physical issues are leading him to prioritize rest and recovery in the hopes that his health would benefit in the short- and long-term. While a return to a professional mound hasn’t fully been ruled out, it’s considered highly unlikely at this stage. Manoah has not pitched off a mound in a month and just two weeks remain in the triple-A schedule.

It's been a stunning fall for Manoah, who finished eighth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2021 and then finished third in the Cy Young voting in 2022. He's 3-9 this season with a 5.87 ERA. In addition to those numbers, he's also given up 15 home runs in just 87.1 innings.

At the major league level, the Blue Jays are 80-64. They are currently in second place in the AL wild card race, 0.5 games ahead of the Texas Rangers and 1.0 game ahead of the Seattle Mariners.

They'll play the Rangers on Tuesday night at 7:07 p.m. ET.

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