General Blue Jays Thread: 2024 Season

The Toronto Blue Jays optioned embattled starter Alek Manoah to the rookie-level Florida Complex League, the team announced Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:

• Manoah, 25, has a 6.36 ERA and 1.897 WHIP in 13 starts (58 innings) this season.

• The 2019 No. 11 draft pick finished third in American League Cy Young voting last season, when he posted a 2.24 ERA over 31 starts. He was Toronto’s Opening Day starter this year.

• The decision comes a day after the right-handed Manoah gave up six runs in just 1/3 of an inning (38 pitches) against the Astros.

• Toronto made a host of other roster moves Tuesday, including reinstating starter Chris Bassitt from the paternity list, reinstating infielder Santiago Espinal from the 10-day injured list and adding starter Bowden Francis to the major-league roster.

How did we get here?

Nearly all season, Manoah has looked like a totally different guy than the one who finished third in Cy Young voting with a 2.24 ERA. But the nadir of a nightmare season came in Monday night’s 11-4 loss to the Astros, when Manoah faced nine batters in the first inning, retiring only one and allowing six runs on seven hits, including a grand slam, with a walk.

All season, he’s lacked command, his velocity has been down, his slider has lost movement and he hasn’t been able to put batters away. He’s gone from one of the best pitchers last year to statistically one of the worst this year in a truly stunning development.

Manoah has been frank about the mental toll this year’s struggles have taken on him, though adamant he would find a way to figure it out. His next start had been scheduled for Saturday against the Twins, but the Blue Jays are in a fight to get back into playoff contention where every win matters — and Manoah, at 1-7 this season, hasn’t been effective on the mound. They chose to take this drastic move in an attempt to help him figure things out away from the pressure of the big leagues. — McGrath

What’s next for Manoah?

Sending Manoah all the way down to the Florida Complex League — the lowest minor-league level — suggests the Blue Jays really want him to escape the pressures of competition and get himself sorted. There are no plans for Manoah to get into games immediately, but rather he’ll work out of the team’s pitching lab at their Player Development Complex in Dunedin, Fla., to try to drill down what’s gone wrong this season. From there, the team will develop a plan to get him back into games but the timeline is fluid.

“He’s a big part of our team,” Schneider said. “I think that we just have to really just get him right. So that’s collectively what we thought would be a good first step.” — McGrath

Where do the Blue Jays go from here?

As part of a flurry of roster moves Tuesday, the Blue Jays added the right-hander Francis to their roster. He has a 3.45 ERA in Buffalo this season and he could be an option to fill in for Manoah on Saturday, though Schneider has yet to confirm a starter. The Blue Jays have the option of getting creative and going with a bullpen day, too, and using Francis in a bulk role. — McGrath

polo007 · Post #210 » by **polo007** » Wed Jun 7, 2023 2:12 pm

Health, Dome struggles marked Guerrero Jr.'s month of May - TSN.ca

TORONTO — The baseline expectations for Vladimir Guerrero Jr. are so sky-high that anything but MVP-type numbers at all times will always be a disappointment for some.

Unfair as it is in this sport, he has his talent level to thank.

Heading into June, there’s no arguing that Guerrero’s overall numbers, especially in the power department, leave a lot to be desired.

But May was simply not his month.

It was a grind for the 24-year-old, who battled knee and wrist ailments, but never came close to an IL stint.

There was a right knee MRI in the middle of the month that revealed no structural damage, but quietly there was also an MRI and additional testing done on his troublesome left wrist.

Not one to make excuses, Guerrero downplays the notion his struggles are because of the injuries, but he admitted it’s been a physical battle for him recently.

“It hasn’t been easy,” said Guerrero Jr., who can usually be found post-game with a bag of ice wrapped to his left wrist. “But, I mean, this is the sport that I love and you’re never going to be 100 per cent. I’m not going to take myself out of the lineup. I’m going to grind.”

The May numbers reveal a hitter doing just that — grinding through things at less than 100 per cent, and a .260/.296/.420 slash line with just three homers and a very uncharacteristic 5:25 walk-to-K ratio helped contribute to the club’s down month in the standings as a team.

There are already signs Guerrero Jr. is feeling better.

His swing decisions have been much better since the calendar flipped to June, and he’s got a homer, a double and three walks in four games to show for it.

“Everyone goes through the physical battles over the course of a year and if ever he wasn’t available to play or perform at the level we thought he could he wouldn’t have been in there,” manager John Schneider said. “Yeah, nicked up, like everybody, but he’s going to continue to battle through it.

“Sometimes, you can lose your mechanics a little bit and when that happens the pitch selection gets a little bit loose, if you will. I think that he was losing his barrel a little bit and when you do that you feel like you have to rush or cheat to certain pitches and I think that’s what he’s going through.”

SharoneWright · Post #211 » by **SharoneWright** » Wed Jun 7, 2023 5:41 pm

Does the Florida Complex League have a pitch clock? :uhoh:

polo007 · Post #212 » by **polo007** » Thu Jun 8, 2023 3:16 pm

Read on Twitter

polo007 · Post #213 » by **polo007** » Thu Jun 8, 2023 11:10 pm

Read on Twitter

polo007 · Post #214 » by **polo007** » Fri Jun 9, 2023 1:48 am

Read on Twitter

polo007 · Post #215 » by **polo007** » Fri Jun 9, 2023 5:27 pm

Read on Twitter

Raps in 4 · Post #216 » by **Raps in 4** » Fri Jun 9, 2023 5:30 pm

I guess Bass refused to participate in the Pride events. Clown.

At least we're not cutting a useful player. He's been garbage all season.

polo007 · Post #217 » by **polo007** » Fri Jun 9, 2023 5:36 pm

Read on Twitter

xAIRNESSx · Post #218 » by **xAIRNESSx** » Fri Jun 9, 2023 5:43 pm

Yeah, didn't feel helpful when Bass said he just shouldn't post his personal beliefs online.

Hottie McShotty · Post #219 » by **Hottie McShotty** » Fri Jun 9, 2023 7:16 pm

Bass DFA. Pretty harsh. No? What do you guys think?

Hottie McShotty · Post #220 » by **Hottie McShotty** » Fri Jun 9, 2023 7:22 pm

xAIRNESSx wrote:Yeah, didn't feel helpful when Bass said he just shouldn't post his personal beliefs online.

He made a mistake, but you can't push your own agenda or beliefs onto others. Harsh world we live in. I'm worried about where we are headed as humans.