Jays hurler Manoah tagged for 7 runs early in single-A start but says shoulder is healthy

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah was happy with his first minor league rehab start despite an ugly line because his right shoulder felt healthy.

Manoah walked his first four batters and wound up allowing seven runs over 1 2/3 innings for single A Dunedin against Lakeland in a Florida State League game on Sunday.

The 26-year old felt right shoulder discomfort following a spring training start on Feb. 27 and threw simulated games on March 27 and April 2.

"I don't care about the numbers," Manoah said from Dunedin, Fla. "I felt really good. Everything was coming out really good. I feel like we were around the zone for the most part. But I think the biggest thing is the body felt good, velo [velocity] was good, [pitches had] movement. So, just got to continue to feel good and continue to attack."

Manoah gave up five hits, four walks and struck out four. He threw 32 balls among his 56 pitches.

After going 16-7 with a 2.24 earned-run average and making the American League all-star team in 2023, Manoah went 3-9 with a 5.87 ERA last season and was sent to the rookie-level Florida Complex League on June 6 to work on mechanics.

After a pair of minor league outings, including one in which Manoah allowed 11 runs over 2 2/3 innings in an FCL game, the right-hander rejoined the Blue Jays on July 7 but was shutdown for the season following a start on Aug. 10.

"I think everybody kind of goes through ups and downs in this game," Manoah said. "Nobody is really going to go out there and be perfect. Even the best player in the world goes through ups and downs. So, I think the biggest thing is just continue to keep that strong mindset, continue to keep that competitiveness and continue to just control what I can control."

Manoah