Blue Jays to recall Alek Manoah for Friday start vs. Tigers - ESPN

Alek Manoah will return to the Toronto Blue Jays rotation Friday, according to manager John Schneider.

The right-hander, who was sent down June 6 after weekslong struggles to start 2023, will get the start against the Tigers in Detroit. All-Star Kevin Gausman, who was scheduled to pitch Friday, will now go Saturday instead,

«He just wants to win, and talking to him this whole time, he just wants to be a part of it and was frustrated that he wasn't giving our team a chance to win every time,» Schneider said Tuesday. «But he wants to be here in the ups and the downs.»

Manoah was a 2022 All-Star and American League Cy Young finalist after going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts. But he's been a completely different pitcher in 2023, going 1-7 with a 6.36 ERA in 13 starts before the Blue Jays opted to send him to rookie-level Florida Complex League last month. Schneider said at the time the team wanted him to focus on his form and not have to worry about regular competition.

He was hit hard in his first game after returning to the minors, allowing 11 runs over 2⅔ innings last Tuesday. But on Sunday, Manoah struck out 10 and allowed one run over five innings for Double-A New Hampshire against Portland.

Schneider said he will probably rejoin the team on Wednesday.

«We've been saying all along there's been a pretty good checklist of things we want to see,» Schneider said. «Minor tweak mechanically. We liked what we saw in terms of comparing it to last year as opposed to the beginning of this year. He's in a zone.»

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.