Toronto Blue Jays Former All-Star Pitcher Making Strides in Return from Injury
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The Toronto Blue Jays have been one of the hottest teams in baseball in the last week, and that has resulted in them moving into sole possession of first place in the American League East.
It has been a great stretch for the Blue Jays of late and now they are going to be focused on trying to sustain the momentum they have built.
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In the first half of the year, Toronto has been above average both offensively and in the bullpen, but they do have a bit of a weakness in their rotation.
With the trade deadline coming up, they certainly might look to add another arm to help in this area, but they also might have an internal option set to return soon, as Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reported.
Alek Manoah is throwing to live hitters again tomorrow in Florida, simulating two innings.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) July 7, 2025
Schneider says that after tomorrow, he'll either throw one more live session to his own hitters or move into his first rehab game.
From there, a Spring Training style ramp-up. #BlueJays
Alek Manoah pitched in just five games in 2024 before his season came to an end with Tommy John surgery. Now, the right-hander is on his way back toward the Majors and is taking some significant strides.
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Manoah getting back on the mound and throwing to live batters over two innings is encouraging to see. Now, the possibility of him getting into a rehab game is quickly approaching with a Spring Training-type workload to follow.
The 27-year-old was an All-Star for the Blue Jays in 2022, but followed up that campaign with a disastrous season in 2023.
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Before getting hurt last year, it looked like the right-hander was going to have a bounce-back season, but it was ultimately cut short.
Hopefully, the next month or so continues to go well for Manoah. As the team seeks some help in the rotation, Manoah could be a potential option at the end of the year.
For more Blue Jays news, head over to Blue Jays On SI.
Nick Ziegler is an alumnus of the Connecticut School of Broadcasting. He has been working in sports media covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL for nearly a decade with various publications online. With his free time, Nick enjoys being at the Jersey Shore with his wife, daughter, and their golden retriever. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @NickZiegler20.