It’s gone from bad to worse for Alek Manoah.
The struggling Blue Jays ace was roughed up during his first start in the rookie-level Florida Complex League against the Yankees’ affiliate, allowing 11 earned runs on 10 hits, two walks and a pair of home runs in just 2 ⅔ innings.
The FCL, a level below Single-A, is largely used as a proving ground for recent draftees and young prospects, and six of the nine batters in the FCL Yankees’ lineup were younger than 20 years old.
Toronto moved Manoah to the FCL on June 6 after he had a disastrous start to the 2023 season, going 1-7 with a 6.36 ERA and 1.90 WHIP across 59 innings.
On June 5, in his last start with the Blue Jays before his demotion, Manoah gave up six runs and recorded just one out.
Manoah had been pitching in simulated games and the team’s pitching lab until Tuesday’s outing, according to MLB.com.
“It’s not a knee-jerk reaction,” Toronto manager John Schneider said following the demotion, according to MLB.com. “Like I’ve been saying all along, we want to make sure we’re doing everything we can to help him get better, and we feel like that’s the proper first, initial step.”
Manoah’s struggles come just one year after he was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball.
The 25-year-old right-hander made the American League All-Star team and won 16 games with a 2.24 ERA, finishing third in the AL Cy Young award race.
Manoah was drafted 11th overall by Toronto in the 2019 MLB Draft and made just nine starts in the minors before making his big league debut in 2021.
Manoah finished eighth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting that season, posting a 3.22 ERA in 20 starts.
The Blue Jays are still in the thick of the Wild Card race despite losing one of their best pitchers, as they sit in the final AL playoff spot with a 43-36 record.
