Alek Manoah Pitches Well In Return To MLB After Early Unexpected Struggles Sent Him To Minors

The 2023 season has not gone as planned for Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Alek Manoah.

Manoah entered the year with extremely high expectations, coming off a Cy Young caliber 2022 season.

But things went downhill almost immediately, as he struggled to the tune of a 6.36 ERA through 13 starts.

After adding 4.1 WAR to the Toronto rotation last year, Manoah’s actually cost the team wins in 2023.

His performance became so problematic, the Blue Jays took the exceptional step of sending him to the minor leagues.

Except his first start there was an unmitigated disaster.

READ: ALEK MANOAH ROCKED IN LOW-LEVEL MINOR LEAGUE START AS BLUE JAYS PITCHER’S CRAZY DOWNWARD SPIRAL CONTINUES

It’s been a dramatic, steep decline for the brash, outspoken starter.

But seemingly out of the blue, Toronto called Manoah back up to start against the Detroit Tigers on Friday night.

And unbelievably, it actually went incredibly well.

Manoah pitched six innings, allowing just one run on five hits, with eight strikeouts and no walks.

Based on his performance to this point in the season, it’s one of the more surprising results of the season.

TORONTO, - JUNE 05: Alek Manoah #6 of the Toronto Blue Jays leaves the field after being relieved during the game between the Houston Astros and the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on Monday, June 5, 2023 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Thomas Skrlj/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

Manoah Returns To Big League Mound

The reasons for Manoah’s extremely poor performance are generally unclear.

He’s lost a bit of velocity from his fastball, which clocked in at 93.6 last year, dropping to 92.8 this season.

While that’s meaningful, it doesn’t fully explain the complete collapse of effectiveness.

Mental struggles could be a partial explanation, but neither the pitcher or the team have admitted as much.

That said, Friday’s start is an encouraging sign for the 25-year-old.

The Blue Jays are in desperate need of starting pitching depth, even with Manoah’s return. But for a team in the thick of the AL East race, any help is a fantastic sign.

And Manoah on Friday provided a significant amount of help.