Alek Manoah‘s first rehab start did not go quite as planned.
The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander recorded just one out for the Florida Complex League Blue Jays on Monday as he takes the next step toward a return to the big-league mound.
Manoah faced five batters in the minor-league game, battling his command as he coughed up four runs (three earned) on two walks, a hit batsman and a single.
His lone out was a strikeout in which he mixed in a changeup, fastball and slider. His four-seamer sat around 93-94 m.p.h. as he threw 22 pitches, but just 10 for strikes.
Manoah underwent UCL reconstruction last season after a five-game return to the big leagues in which he posted a 3.70 ERA over 24.1 innings.
His 30-day rehab clock began with Monday’s outing, meaning he could return to the MLB club in mid-to-late August.
Manoah, 27, finished as a Cy Young Award runner-up in 2022 before struggling through 2023, where he shuttled between the minors and majors.
Since his dominant 2022 season, Manoah has thrown only 111.2 innings for the Blue Jays, holding a 5.40 ERA.
