Alek Manoah's Blue Jay career has been a short roller coaster ride and after seeing another low point, some wonder if the ride may be close to over.
For most, roller coaster rides are an exhilarating experience filled with fun and laughter. But for Toronto Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah's recent roller-coaster ride, the same can't be said.
Obviously, this isn't pertaining to a real roller-coaster ride, but rather the ride that his short MLB career has been.
The righty saw a productive, 111-inning rookie year where he finished eighth in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. He followed that up with a Cy Young-caliber season in 2022, posting a 2.24 ERA and a sub-1 WHIP in nearly 200 innings.
2023 was shaping up to be another potential Cy Young caliber season for the 25-year-old, but after 19 starts in the big leagues this year, his roller-coaster ride has reached a new low.
Blue Jays rumors: Is Alek Manoah's Blue Jays career coming to an end?
Earlier in the year, Alek Manoah had been sent down to the minor leagues following a one-out start against the Astros where he surrendered six runs. After a month of working on the basics and tuning his arsenal and mechanics, Manoah was brought back to the big-league club.
The former Cy Young hopeful looked to have turned the corner a bit, throwing 18.2 innings in July with a 4.34 ERA and 20 strikeouts. But August got off to another rough start and the Blue Jays again optioned him down to Triple-A.
The Blue Jays are giving Manoah as many chances as possible to figure himself out, but he just hasn't been pitching to the caliber of a playoff starter, which is where Toronto sees themselves in October.
With four years of team control on his contract as well as three option years remaining, his time as a Blue Jay likely isn't over. Hyun Jin Ryu is also a free agent this offseason, and he'll likely be let go, more than likely giving Manoah another shot either this year or at the beginning of next season.
