Alek Manoah’s sad redemption tour is ready for its next big-league stop

The rollercoaster ride that has been Alek Manoah's MLB career has featured several ups and downs.

In his first full MLB season, Manoah posted a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts and was an AL Cy Young finalist. He wasn't only one of the best young pitchers in the game, but he was one of the best overall. It looked like he'd be a staple at the top of the Toronto Blue Jays rotation, but last season went about as poorly as anyone could've imagined.

Manoah had a 5.87 ERA in 19 starts for Toronto in 2023. He was sent down to the minors a couple of times and never looked like himself from the start. The hope was that Manoah would rebound this season, but he struggled in his one Spring Training start and began the regular season on the injured list.

Despite posting an 8.69 ERA in his five rehab starts, the Blue Jays have recalled Manoah to start Sunday's game against the Washington Nationals.

Alex Manoah gets another chance to prove himself with start vs. Nationals

Times are tough for the Blue Jays right now when it comes to starting pitching. When healthy, they have one of the best rotations in baseball, but they're not fully healthy right now. They began the year with Bowden Francis in the rotation, but he's on the IL. Yariel Rodriguez had been starting games lately for Toronto and looked great, but he's hurt as well.

Without much additional depth, the Blue Jays are turning to Manoah to start the series finale in Washington.

This appears to be more of the Blue Jays simply needing an arm rather than them wanting to rely on Manoah, but drastic times call for drastic measures sometimes.

The right-hander's numbers in the minors this season are abysmal, but he's coming off of a gem his last time out. Matched up against Paul Skenes, Manoah allowed one run on two hits with two walks in six innings pitched. He struck out 12, which more than doubled his season-high.

Obviously Triple-A is not MLB, but perhaps Manoah unlocked something in his last start. The Blue Jays have no option but to hope that is the case as they look for a series win.