Blue Jays make drastic move with struggling ace Alek Manoah

Mar 14, 2021; Dunedin, Florida, USA; Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah (75) looks on during their game against the New York Yankees at TD Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

After pitching for the AL All-Star team last season, Alek Manoah is now about to pitch in the minors.

The Toronto Blue Jays announced on Tuesday that the struggling ace righty Manoah has been optioned to the Florida Complex League, their rookie-level affiliate. That marks a major demotion for Manoah, who is headed to a league that is even below Single-A (though he may soon work his way back up to somewhere like the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons).

Manoah, 25, has had a season from hell thus far with a 1-7 record to go along with a 6.36 ERA and an AL-leading 42 walks in 13 starts. The coup de grace came Monday against the Houston Astros when Manoah got shelled for six earned runs on seven hits in the first inning, recording just one out before getting pulled from the game.

Alek Manoah's entire outing today:
single
bunt single he tried to blow foul 👇
single
flyout
single
walk
grand slam
single
single

Crazy.pic.twitter.com/maCoAyVaxN

— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) June 5, 2023

Toronto, fighting for a Wild Card spot at 33-28 this season, has now decided it will be best for Manoah to work through his issues in the minor leagues. The right-hander was 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 2022, emerging as one of the most confident (and best trash-talking) young pitchers in the game. As such, this marks a massive fall for Manoah, at least until he can get his pitching act together and return to the big leagues.