Blue Jays' Manoah ailing and unlikely to pitch at any level for rest of season

Alek Manoah, the opening day starter for the Toronto Blue Jays who later was sent to the minors, is unlikely to pitch again this season, Sportsnet reported Tuesday.

Manoah, 25, met last week with specialists who examined his ailing knee, back and right quad. While they didn't find any structural damage, Manoah is expected to take the rest of the season off to recover.

Manoah, who was drafted by the Jays with the No. 11 overall pick in 2019, finished third in the American League Cy Young Award voting last season when he went 16-7 with a 2.24 earned-run average in 31 starts.

His 2023 season was derailed starting with the opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 30, when he gave up five runs on nine hits, including two home runs, in 3 1/3 innings.

On June 6, the Blue Jays optioned him to the Rookie-level Florida Complex

League amid a 1-7 record with a 6.36 ERA and 42 walks over 13 starts. The move came one day after Manoah was chased after just one out in the first inning Monday against Houston, having yielded six runs on seven hits.

He was recalled a month later and made six starts, going 2-2 before being sent to triple-A Buffalo on Aug. 11. He has not pitched since Aug. 10, when he gave up four runs on four hits in four innings to the Cleveland Guardians and was charged with the defeat in a 4-3 loss.

The Blue Jays (80-64) entered Tuesday with a half-game lead for the second wild-card berth in the American League.

The Jays placed first baseman Brandon Belt on the 10-day injured list on with lumbar spine muscle spasms.

The back issue forced Belt to depart Monday's game against the Texas Rangers in the sixth inning.

Belt is hitting .251 this season with 16 homers and 38 runs batted in.

The Blue Jays also recalled