Fantasy News

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Diagnosed with sprained UCL

  Rotowire May 31, 2024

  The Blue Jays placed Manoah on the 15-day injured list Friday, retroactive to May 30, with a right elbow sprain, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. Manoah has damage to his UCL and will receive a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister next Thursday, per Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca. Season-ending surgery looks like a distinct possibility, but that decision should be made after next week's exam. Manoah has posted a 3.70 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 26:8 K:BB over 24.1 innings covering five starts with the Blue Jays this season.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Expected to miss significant time

  Rotowire May 31, 2024

  Manoah will receive a second opinion on his injured right elbow, but the expectation is that he's going to be sidelined for an extended period of time, Scott Mitchell of TSN.ca reports. Manoah was forced from his last outing Wednesday against the White Sox in the second inning due to discomfort in his pitching elbow. He underwent an MRI on Thursday, and it would appear the results of that exam were not favorable. Manoah has not yet been placed on the injured list, but that looks to be inevitable. Bowden Francis (forearm) is slated to return soon and is an option to take Manoah's rotation spot.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Headed for MRI

  Rotowire May 29, 2024

  Manoah will receive an MRI on his right elbow Thursday, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports. Manoah allowed one hit and struck out three batters in 1.2 innings Wednesday versus the White Sox before right elbow discomfort forced him out of the game early. The Blue Jays will wait for the results of his MRI before making any decisions, but there is a chance the 26-year-old righty will require a trip to the injured list.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Exits with trainer

  Rotowire May 29, 2024

  Manoah was removed from Wednesday's game against the White Sox in the second inning due right elbow discomfort. The severity of Manoah's injury isn't immediately apparent, but it was enough to warrant his removal after recording just five outs Wednesday. He is tentatively scheduled to pitch again Tuesday against the Orioles, though a clearer picture of his status for that game will come once the Jays are able to take a closer look at him.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Falls to Detroit

  Rotowire May 25, 2024

  Manoah (1-2) took the loss Friday against the Tigers, allowing six runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks over 4.2 innings. He struck out four. It was a tough outing for Manoah, who hadn't allowed an earned run over 14 innings in his previous two starts. Still, the 26-year-old right-hander has gotten off to a solid start in 2024, pitching to a 3.97 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB through 22.2 innings after struggling to a 5.87 ERA in 19 starts last year. Manoah will look to get back on track in his next outing, currently lined up for next week on the road versus the White Sox.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Solid over seven versus Twins

  Rotowire May 12, 2024

  Manoah (0-1) was tagged with a loss after he pitched seven innings, allowing three unearned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out six in Sunday's 5-1 defeat to Minnesota. The 26-year-old right-hander was in full command Sunday, tossing six scoreless frames to open his outing against the Twins. With one out in the top of the seventh inning, Max Kepler reached on a fielding error by Toronto third baseman Ernie Clement and three runs -- all of which were unearned -- came around to score on a Carlos Santana homer. Manoah struggled in his 2024 debut against the Nationals on May 5, giving up seven runs (six earned) over four innings, so Sunday's performance was a positive sign. Manoah will look to make it back-to-back strong outings when he returns to the mound for his next projected start Saturday versus the Rays.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Struggles mightily in return

  Rotowire May 5, 2024

  Manoah did not factor into the decision, allowing seven runs (six earned) on six hits and four walks over four innings Sunday against the Nationals. He struck out six. Manoah struggled with his command throughout, also hitting a batter to allow 11 baserunners, including two homers, and six earned runs during his first start of the season. It was not the type of start the Blue Jays were hoping to see out of the fourth-year starter, who compiled a 2.59 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 307 strikeouts over 308.1 innings during his first two seasons but struggled to a 5.87 ERA and 1.74 WHIP over 87.1 innings last season spanning 19 starts. The Blue Jays are hopeful Manoah can return to form this season, but fantasy managers will be wise to proceed with skepticism until the 26-year-old righty starts to show signs that he's working past his funk. His next turn would tentatively be slated for next weekend at home against the Twins, though this performance likely indicates his next start is far from assured.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Activated ahead of 2024 debut

  Rotowire May 5, 2024

  The Blue Jays reinstated Manoah (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday versus the Nationals in Washington. Manoah will be making his 2024 season debut for the Blue Jays after he opened the campaign on the shelf with right shoulder inflammation before completing a five-start minor-league rehab assignment between stops at Single-A Dunedin and Triple-A Buffalo. The right-hander was far from sharp over the course of the minor-league assignment -- he posted an 8.69 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and 28:11 K:BB across 19.2 frames -- but he finished off his stint at Buffalo in dominant fashion, tossing six innings of one-run ball while striking out 12 and issuing just two walks this past Tuesday. The Blue Jays are hopeful that Manoah can eventually regain the form that made him a third-place finisher in the 2022 American League Cy Young Award balloting, but his fantasy managers may want to tread carefully before activating him. Much like the entirety of his rehab assignment prior to Tuesday, Manoah struggled mightily with his command and control during his time with the Blue Jays and various minor-league affiliates in a disastrous 2023 season.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Potential option for Sunday

  Rotowire May 3, 2024

  Manoah (shoulder) is throwing a side session Friday and is an option to start Sunday against the Nationals, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. Toronto has yet to name a starter for Sunday's contest, and it could be Manoah if he checks out okay after Friday's throwing session. The right-hander was electric in his last rehab start Tuesday with 12 strikeouts and one run allowed over six scoreless innings, and the Blue Jays need to fill out their rotation in the wake of Yariel Rodriguez's back injury.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Likely to make another rehab start

  Rotowire Apr 25, 2024

  Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Thursday that Manoah (shoulder) is likely to make another rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. Manoah was roughed up for six runs on seven hits and four walks over three innings in his latest start with Buffalo on Wednesday. Three of his four rehab outings have been poor, and overall batters have hit .406/.474/.703 off Manoah. He does not appear close to being ready to help out the major-league club. Per Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic, Manoah's 30-day rehab assignment runs out May 6, although if the club doesn't feel he's ready to join the MLB rotation at that point, he could still be activated from the IL and optioned back to Triple-A.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Scuffles in latest rehab start

  Rotowire Apr 25, 2024

  Manoah (shoulder) yielded six runs on seven hits and four walks over three innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Buffalo on Wednesday. Manoah had seemed to make some strides in his previous two rehab outings, but he took a big step backward Wednesday. The right-hander's velocity was down 0.8 mph on both his sinker and four-seamer and down 1.4 mph on his slider, which was his most-used pitch in the start. Manoah walked four of the 19 batters he faced and surrendered a pair of home runs. The Blue Jays had seemed optimistic that Manoah would be ready to rejoin their rotation for his next start, but they might reconsider following the righty's struggles Wednesday. Manoah has been out all season with right shoulder inflammation.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Gives up eight hits in rehab start

  Rotowire Apr 14, 2024

  Manoah (shoulder) struck out four and was charged with four earned runs on eight hits and one walk over 3.1 innings in his second minor-league rehab start Saturday with Triple-A Syracuse. Manoah was far from dominant Saturday, but he still took a big step forward while shifting his rehab assignment to a higher level of competition. In his first outing April 7 with Single-A Dunedin, Manoah retired only five of 16 batters while throwing just 26 strikes on 58 pitches, but he did a better job of finding the zone Saturday. He still spotted only 48 of his 78 pitches for strikes, though, so despite looking to be fully ramped up from a workload standpoint, Manoah will probably need to make further improvements with his command and control before he returns from the 15-day injured list and receives a look in Toronto's rotation. Yariel Rodriguez should stick around as the Blue Jays' No. 5 starting pitcher for the time being.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Command issues return in MiLB start

  Rotowire Apr 7, 2024

  Manoah (shoulder) retired only five of the 16 batters he faced in his rehab start Sunday for Single-A Dunedin while allowing seven runs (six earned) on five hits and four walks. He struck out two batters. Coming off a disastrous 2023 season in which he saw his velocity dip to go along with major declines in his command and control, Manoah has yet to show any signs of re-emerging as one of the game's more promising young pitchers. After issuing one walk and hitting three batters in his lone Grapefruit League start Feb. 27, Manoah was shut down with shoulder inflammation soon thereafter and opened the season on the 15-day injured list. He was cleared to begin his rehab assignment Sunday but once again showed an inability to put the ball where he wanted. He threw 16 of his first 18 pitches for balls and walked the first four batters he faced, finishing the day with only 26 strikes on his 58 pitches. Manoah will need to display major improvement in his subsequent starts in the minors to put himself back in consideration for a spot in the Toronto rotation once he completes his rehab assignment.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Beginning assignment in Single-A

  Rotowire Apr 3, 2024

  Manoah (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Sunday with Single-A Dunedin, Kaitlyn McGrath of The Athletic reports. Manoah pitched a three-inning simulated game Tuesday at the Jays' spring training facility without any issues, and he's slated to up his workload to four frames in his first rehab start. If Manoah's Single-A outing goes well, his assignment may move to a higher-level affiliate, but the 26-year-old is likely still several rehab appearances away from making his season debut with Toronto.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Moves to IL

  Rotowire Mar 28, 2024

  The Blue Jays placed Manoah (shoulder) on the 15-day injured list Thursday. Manoah is opening the season on the IL while he recovers from right shoulder inflammation, which kept him from pitching in the Grapefruit League after he made his spring debut Feb. 27. He was able to throw a two-inning, 34-pitch simulated game Wednesday, so his next step could be heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment. Manoah will likely require multiple starts in the minors to get fully stretched out before the Blue Jays consider activating him from the IL and including him in the rotation.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Builds up to 34 pitches in sim game

  Rotowire Mar 27, 2024

  Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Manoah (shoulder) completed a two-inning, 34-pitch simulated game Wednesday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. Manoah has two minor-league options remaining, but Schneider noted that the Blue Jays are likely to stash the right-hander on the 15-day injured list rather than sending him to Triple-A Buffalo. Coming off a confounding 2023 season in which his command and control completely betrayed him, Manoah may not be guaranteed a rotation spot once he moves past his right shoulder injury -- an improbable development for a young pitcher who performed as a frontline starter in 2021 and 2022. He'll likely steadily build up his arm at the Blue Jays' spring training facility before joining a minor-league affiliate for a rehab assignment. Once Manoah is deemed to be healthy, his performance on his rehab assignment as well as the state of the Toronto rotation will likely determine what role he fills for the big club.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Completes live BP

  Rotowire Mar 23, 2024

  Manoah (shoulder) threw 23 pitches in a live batting practice session Friday, Rob Longley of The Toronto Sun reports. The right-hander's fastball reportedly touched 97 mph in his first live session since going down with a sore shoulder early in camp. He will begin the season on the injured list, and Manoah said he's uncertain what his next step will be. Bowden Francis was named to the Blue Jays' rotation and another spot could open up if Kevin Gausman (shoulder) does not gain clearance for the start of the season.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Slated for live batting practice

  Rotowire Mar 21, 2024

  Manoah (shoulder) will throw a live batting practice session Friday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports. It will be his first time facing hitters since he came down with right shoulder soreness at the beginning of the month. Manoah will begin the season on the injured list, but there won't be a timetable for his potential return until he's able to ramp things up without setbacks.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Playing catch again Tuesday

  Rotowire Mar 5, 2024

  Manoah (shoulder) will play catch for the second day in a row Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports. Manoah resumed throwing Monday after a brief shutdown period with right shoulder soreness, and it's a good sign that he's feeling well enough to throw again the next day. Manoah still has numerous hoops to jump through and faces a tall task to be ready by Opening Day.

  ... See More ... See Less

• Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Dealing with shoulder soreness

  Rotowire Mar 2, 2024

  Manoah felt soreness in his shoulder during a bullpen session Friday and will not start Sunday against Boston, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports. Manoah said he didn't recover properly following his last spring training start and had to end Friday's session early due to the discomfort in his shoulder. An MRI didn't reveal any structural damage, which lowers the risk of a long-term absence, but the Blue Jays will push back Manoah's next Grapefruit League appearance and approach his injury on a day-to-day basis.

  ... See More ... See Less