Blue Jays' Manoah to start vs. Nationals on Sunday
Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah will start against the Washington Nationals on Sunday, the team announced, according to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.
It'll be the 26-year-old's first major-league start since last August.
Manoah looked sharp in his last minor-league outing for Triple-A Buffalo, striking out 12 hitters and allowing one run over six innings.
The 2022 Cy Young finalist struggled to a 5.87 ERA last season, in which he was demoted to the minor leagues and sat out for the final two months of the campaign after being placed on the temporarily inactive list.
Last September, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said Manoah didn't feel ready to compete. He was shut down for the season a week later after receiving arm injections.
Manoah failed to make the Blue Jays' 2024 Opening Day roster after posting a 21.60 ERA in his lone outing. He was diagnosed with right shoulder soreness afterward and subsequently placed on the 15-day IL before returning to begin his rehab assignment on April 7.
The Blue Jays are presently without starter Yariel Rodríguez, who is on the IL with thoracic spine inflammation.