Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Alek Manoah isn’t pitching in the organization at the moment because the right-hander’s not ready to be on the mound.
“At the current time he feels like he’s not ready to compete so we’re going to respect that and kind of move on from it,” Schneider told MLB Network Radio on Wednesday. “We’ve been working through every decision with him together as a group and respecting his requests along the way.”
Manoah, who was demoted to Triple-A in mid-August, is reportedly unlikely to pitch again this season in the majors or minors because he’s prioritizing rest and recovery for multiple ailments. However, the Blue Jays haven’t found any structural damage.
“You don’t want to put guys in position that they are not comfortable with,” Schneider said, according to Rob Longley of the Toronto Sun. “Kind of just leaving it at that.
“It’s always been a back and forth between player and team. So, you’re going to listen to your players’ input, for sure, and you don’t want to put him in a (bad) spot.”
The 2022 AL Cy Young finalist returned to the Blue Jays in early July following his first demotion to the rookie-level Florida Complex League after posting a 6.36 ERA over his first 13 starts of the season. He made six more starts with a 4.91 ERA before losing his spot in the rotation to Hyun Jin Ryu.
The Triple-A Buffalo Bisons placed Manoah on the temporarily inactive list on Sept. 5 to free up a roster spot.
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Blue Jays' Schneider: Manoah 'feels like he's not ready to compete'
