Getty Image / Mark Blinch
Something is seriously going on with Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah. After a hot season last year, the star pitcher is noticeably struggling on the mound.
His last start was his worst yet after giving up seven hits, a walk, and six ERAs, in the first inning.
He didn’t even finish the inning either, as the Blue Jays pulled him off of the mound with just a single out recorded.
Now, it appears Toronto is doing something about it. According to Keegan Matheson, the Blue Jays are sending Alek Manoah to Florida Complex League. Otherwise known as a rookie-level minor league.
The Blue Jays have optioned Alek Manoah to the Florida Complex League, per @KeeganMatheson pic.twitter.com/3Hnb4eLz1o
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 6, 2023
Matheson also reports that Toronto is using this move as a way to fully reset their star pitcher.
Sending Alek Manoah to the complex league is easy to call "the Roy Halladay treatment", but again, they're very different pitchers and situations.
In Dunedin, Manoah will be able to use the complex, the pitching lab and the million other resources.
This is a full, total reset.
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) June 6, 2023
Talk about a fall from grace. Manoah was one of the league’s top pitchers just a season ago. And now he can barely get through an inning without getting lit up by the opposing team.
In the end, it’s up to Manoah to get back on track and utilize this opportunity get things under control.
Now comes the hard part:
This needs to actually work.
The #BlueJays will have to be patient and it will be Manoah who determines whether this takes two weeks or two months… But when you take an extreme measure like this, it has to work. #BlueJays
— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) June 6, 2023
Meanwhile, MLB fans (people who don’t root for the Blue Jays) can’t help but make jokes about the star pitcher’s downfall.
Bro sent him to a junior varsity squad 😭
— BJ (@TheYanksZoo__) June 6, 2023
Some fans are not letting Manoah forget about his “pressure” quote.
pressure is something you put in your tires to get ready for the roadtrip to florida
— Portland Pickles (@picklesbaseball) June 6, 2023
Not the best look.
from Cy Young finalist to getting sent back to the FCL. That's rough 😬
— A-Gon (@RealAGon7) June 6, 2023
Alek Manoah is basically Billy Madison.
I saw this in a movie once. It was called Billy Madison
— Dynamic Voltage Games (@dynamic_voltage) June 6, 2023
This is a big move for the Blue Jays. Hopefully it pays off, but it’s up to Manoah to get back on track.
It’s hard to imagine a timeline on when he could return to the Majors. It could be just one month, or the rest of the season.
Keep an eye out for more updates, as the Blue Jays must find a way to replace Alek Manoah for the time being.