Toronto Blue Jays take care of their Alek Manoah problem

In a host of roster moves, the Toronto Blue Jays have demoted starting pitcher Alek Manoah after a tough start against the Houston Astros.

Alek Manoah lasted just one out against the Houston Astros on Monday night in what turned out to be the last straw for the Blue Jays starting pitcher.

Manoah’s struggles have been well documented, and his ERA jumped to 6.36 after giving up seven hits and six earned runs against the World Series champion Astros. Were it just that one start against Houston, perhaps the Jays could’ve let Manoah slide, but he’s been struggling for months now.

Jays manager John Schneider did not commit to Manoah making his next scheduled start, and now we know why.

“We’ve got to continue to do what’s best for him to help him get better,” Schneider said on Monday night. “That’s what we’re going to do, starting tonight and moving forward. That’s been our focus the whole time, so we’ll continue to do that.”

In the end, Toronto did what was best for the team, and that’s sending Manoah to the Florida Complex League in hopes he can find the pitcher he used to be, rather than the struggling ace he’s turned into.

Blue Jays option Alek Manoah: What it means

Toronto activated Chris Bassitt from the paternity list, meaning they have close to a full rotation for the rest of June. The team has three off days over the remainder of the month, meaning they should be able to survive having a four-man rotation, with all of their starters on full rest.

I documented Manoah’s recent struggles in a column this morning. The Jays pitcher did say he feels supported by the organization, though it’s unclear if that’s still true following his demotion.

“They reminded me that they all have my back, that we’re all in this together, that they love me and want me to do well,” Manoah said. “It’s very encouraging to hear that.”

There is no timeline for Manoah’s return as of this writing.