Blue Jays' Manoah heading for MRI on elbow

Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Alek Manoah was forced to leave Wednesday's game against the Chicago White Sox in the second inning with right elbow discomfort, the club announced.

Manoah is scheduled to undergo an MRI on his elbow Thursday, manager John Schneider said postgame, according to MLB.com's Keegan Matheson.

"Just felt really pinchy," Manoah said, according to The Associated Press. "At that point, mentally, I was just like, 'Do I keep grinding through this and maybe make it worse or just hand the ball to somebody else?'"

Manoah appeared to be in some pain after a throwing a first-pitch sinker to Dominic Fletcher.

Right-hander Trevor Richards relieved Manoah, retiring Fletcher to get the Blue Jays out of the second inning.

Manoah was showing flashes of his old self in five starts this season, registering a 1-2 record with a 3.70 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 26 strikeouts across 24 1/3 innings.

The 26-year-old missed time at the start of the regular season with a shoulder issue and made five rehab starts in the minors before he was inserted back into the Blue Jays' rotation.