Alek Manoah taking things one day at a time on path back to Toronto Blue Jays’ rotation

DUNEDIN, Fla. — Alek Manoah has a ritual he carries out before the first pitch of every start. He’ll throw his final warmup pitch then walk off the mound toward centre field. The right-hander will take a few steps then look up at the sky and pound his fist into his glove, signifying he’s ready to compete.

On a rainy Friday morning at the Blue Jays’ player development complex, Manoah kept his tradition. It didn’t matter to him that he was about to throw live batting practice. At this point, he’ll take it.

“I just want to pitch,” Manoah said after his one inning of work. “Whenever I can get out on that mound, I’m not taking it for granted and [will] compete as hard as I can. Whether that’s in the game, whether that’s a live BP with lots of rain, it doesn’t really matter for me.”

Manoah, who’s been sidelined for most of spring training with a right shoulder issue, tossed 23 pitches and said he felt “really good” afterward. Pitching to teammates Rafael Lantigua, Spencer Horwitz and Davis Schneider, Manoah recorded three strikeouts in four at-bats and topped out at 96 m.p.h.

“I wasn’t really going out there with expectations,” said Manoah. “Just trying to fill up the zone and try to compete. Really not think about anything else. And I feel like I was able to do that.”

The right-hander made his only Grapefruit League start on Feb. 27 when he hit three batters and allowed four runs over 1.2 innings against the Detroit Tigers in Lakeland, Fla. Days after that he realized his shoulder was experiencing soreness and inflammation. An MRI showed no structural damage and Manoah says the Blue Jays’ training staff worked with him to strengthen the area. That was followed by a light throwing progression. 

His setback comes on the heels of a trying 2023 campaign that included a 5.87 ERA over 87.1 innings. The 26-year-old, who finished third in American League Cy Young award voting in 2022, says he’s been focusing only on what he can control and blocking everything else out. 

“When something kind of barks up, you can play the pride game and try to roll through it,” said Manoah. “And that ends up biting you in the butt in the long run. So, it could be pretty frustrating. But I think the biggest thing is just keeping my mind on what I need to do today, what I need to do tomorrow. When tomorrow comes and when the next day comes, worry about that. 

“That kind of keeps my mind in a safe space and keeps my feet right where they need to be,” he continued. “And allows me not to miss any steps along the way. Just stay focused on the day-to-day.”

Manoah said he’s not certain about the next step in his progression and will defer to the team’s decision-makers about that. Considering where he is with his build-up and that the regular season begins next Thursday, Manoah’s next step assuredly won’t be to break camp with the team. 

It’s likely he’ll remain at the Blue Jays’ complex for extended spring training as he continues to progress his workload. Blue Jays manager John Schneider confirmed Friday that the club plans to continue to deploy Manoah in a starting role and won’t consider him as an option in the bullpen. 

“We’re going to keep him there,” Schneider said. “He’s obviously done that his whole career. So, whenever he’s ready and performing, we’ll see. We’ll see where he’s at.”

Manoah entered camp in position to be the club’s No. 5 starter but his spot on the depth chart has changed considerably over the past month. Right-hander Bowden Francis rode a strong spring into the starting staff and his emergence, coupled with the promising progression of ace right-hander Kevin Gausman, who’s working his way back from a shoulder issue and could open the season at the back end of the rotation, means there’s no current spot for Manoah at the major-league level.