Toronto Blue Jays' Former Ace to Begin Rehab Assignment as He Works His Way Back

Toronto Blue Jays' former ace Alek Manoah is set to begin a rehab assignment as he works his way back from a shoulder injury that caused him to miss most of spring training.

Per Kaitlyn McGrath of 'The Athletic' on social media:

Alek Manoah’s sim game went well yesterday, per manager John Schneider. He threw 48 pitches, had 6 strikeouts. Velo and command were good. Next step is for him to pitch 4 innings with Low-A Dunedin on Sunday

Alek Manoah’s sim game went well yesterday, per #BlueJays manager John Schneider. He threw 48 pitches, had 6 strikeouts. Velo and command were good. Next step is for him to pitch 4 innings with Low-A Dunedin on Sunday
— Kaitlyn McGrath (@kaitlyncmcgrath) April 3, 2024

At this point, Manoah is a total wild card. Still just 26 years old, he offers tantalizing upside. He's under team control through 2027 so it's understandable why the Jays don't want to give up on him. He went 9-2 as a rookie in 2021 and then went 16-7 in 2022, pitching to a 2.24 ERA, an All-Star appearance and a third-place finish in the American League Cy Young voting. He also started Game 1 of the Jays' playoff series.

However, things cratered for him in 2023, as he went 3-9 with a 5.87 ERA in 19 starts. He got sent to the minor leagues on multiple occasions. Furthermore, this spring, despite efforts to get in better shape, he made one start, lasting 1.2 innings and giving up four earned runs and hitting three batters.

If Manoah ends up making it back and contributing, it's certainly good for the Jays, but they appear to be covered either way. The rotation currently has Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman, Yusei Kikuchi, Chris Bassitt and Bowden Francis, and they also have Yariel Rodriguez and top prospect Ricky Tiedemann waiting in the wings.

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