TAMPA -- It’s too hot for eye contact in Tampa, let alone bear hugs, but Alek Manoah didn’t care.
When Manoah got over to George M. Steinbrenner Field Friday night after throwing a bullpen across the causeway in Dunedin, Fla., Manoah brought an immediate sense of life to the dugout with him.
“He gave me a big ol’ hug,” Schneider said. “I didn’t really run into him until he walked into the dugout at 6:45. He’s energy and a big body, a guy that you have to be aware of where he’s at so you don’t get knocked over. It was awesome to see him. He’s just such an infectious personality and the big ol’ bear hug was nice.”
It feels like Manoah is himself again, free from the weight of his struggles and elbow problems that led to last year’s Tommy John surgery. Physically, Manoah looks better than he ever has, sitting in the Blue Jays’ dugout prior to their 3-1 loss to the Rays Saturday night. The smile, easy nature and banter that made him one-of-a-kind when he skyrocketed to the big leagues are all there again.
When Manoah is healthy, he’s capable of not just being an effective major-league pitcher, but a showman. This is what the Blue Jays want back in their dugout, and as Manoah enters the final months of his rehab, it’s getting easier to imagine that again.
“He’s the same way on the days he pitches,” Schneider said. “He’s top-stepping it, he’s Johnny Rah-Rah like he’s still at West Virginia. He’s into every pitch. He’s the stark contrast to Max Scherzer or Bowden Francis where they come in and are sitting there doing their own thing. He’s got the towel wrapped on playing cheerleader on the top step. It’s good to have him back.”
Manoah doesn’t need to look far for the blueprint here. Hyun Jin Ryu, once one of Manoah’s closest friends in the organization, has already charted it out for him.
Ryu underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2022, lining up with the same season-to-season timeline of Manoah’s June, ‘24 procedure. Ryu was able to rehab in time to return for the final two months of the next season and helped the Blue Jays down the stretch to reach the postseason. This is exactly what Manoah can do, with the organization eying a loose timeline -- emphasis on “loose” here -- of an August return.
“I want to be healthy. I want to be great,” Manoah said. “That’s the way I’m going to be able to help this team down the stretch. That’s my biggest motivation for those last however many games.”
The last time we saw Manoah, he was climbing the mound for the very first time since surgery in March on a quiet morning at the Blue Jays’ player development complex. It was a monumental day for Manoah, emotional in many ways, but now he’s getting closer to the milestones he’s been chasing. Right now, he’s pushing past 40 pitches in bullpen sessions, throwing his “heavy” sessions on Tuesdays with a lighter one on Saturdays.
By the time Manoah finishes up his morning work, he has plenty of time to get home and watch each night’s game. He still feels like part of this team, even if we’re nearly a full year removed from his last start and even further removed from the 2022 season, when Manoah finished third place in AL Cy Young Award voting.
Manoah isn’t alone through these long rehab days, either. It’s unfortunate that the Blue Jays have so many young pitchers rehabbing together at their complex, but still fortunate, as Manoah puts it, that they have one another to lean on.
“I’m actually one of the ones that’s further ahead, too,” Manoah said, “so they’re able to bounce things off of me. Some of the younger guys who are already in games, I’m watching them throw 97-98 mph. It’s pretty exciting. We’ve got a good group down there. There’s a lot of horses down there who are ready to get healthy and start running.”
When he’s healthy, Manoah is the definition of a horse. His 2022 season, with a 2.24 ERA spread across 196 2/3 innings, looked like a throwback starter with modern flair, the type of pitcher who could lead a rotation for years.
Now, the Blue Jays just need Manoah to help. He’s finally close again, and like Ryu once did, Manoah could arrive at the perfect time.