Fastball

Big Toronto Blue Jays' Free Agent Acquisition Battling Back Issue, Could Open Door For Alek Manoah's Return

Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher Yariel Rodriguez, who signed a five-year deal with the Jays this offseason, is experiencing back discomfort. While nothing is officially known as of now, this could open the door for Alek Manoah to return to the Jays rotation.

Brady Farkas

Apr 29, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Yariel Rodriguez (29)
Apr 29, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Yariel Rodriguez (29) / Dan Hamilton-USA TODAY Sports
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Tuesday, 5:25 p.m. ET: Rodriguez has been placed on the injured list, which is seemingly a good indicator that Manoah could be back.

Tuesday 4:55 p.m. ET: After an inefficient start on Monday night, Toronto Blue Jays' starting pitcher Yariel Rodriguez is currently experiencing back discomfort.

Per Jays' reporter Arden Zwelling on social media:

Yariel Rodriguez is experiencing back soreness following his start Monday night — similar to what he dealt with during spring training. Club will see how he responds to treatment today and go from there

Zach Pop is with Blue Jays in Toronto on club’s taxi squad

Obviously, as Zwelling indicates, there is nothing officially known on how Rodriguez is doing at this point, but if he's forced to miss time, it could open the door for Alek Manoah to return to the rotation.

Manoah, who had a terrible 2023 and was injured in spring training, has been rehabbing in the minor leagues and appears healthy and built up. The question will be if he can perform after going 3-9 last season with a 5.87 ERA. He's gone 0-2 with an 11.85 ERA in the minors this year. He's allowed 18 earned runs in 13.2 innings.

It's been a stark fall for Manoah, who finished third in the American League Cy Young voting in 2022 and started the first game of the Jays' playoff run that year.

As for Rodriguez, he signed a five-year deal in the offseason. Even if his back is healthy, he could be ticketed for the bullpen to make room for Manoah if the organization deems him ready. He's gone 0-1 with a 4.11 ERA in four starts at the Major League level this year. He's only thrown 15.1 innings in those starts.

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Brady Farkas

BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady.Â