Alek Manoah to Start for Blue Jays vs. Tigers on Friday After June Demotion

Alek Manoah is back in the majors.

Blue Jays manager John Schneider announced that the big right-hander would be making a start on Friday in place of Kevin Gausman, who is being pushed to Saturday.

This is Manoah's first major league action since his demotion to the minors in early June. He had a dismal start to the season, going 1-7 across his first 13 starts with a 6.36 ERA.

Manoah's struggles came as a surprise, considering his breakout 2022. He went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts. He threw 196.2 innings during that regular season, earned his first All-Star Game nomination and finished third in Cy Young voting.

His postseason performance showed some trouble, as he took a Game 1 loss in the Wild Card Series, surrendering four runs in 5.2 innings. He then has been ineffective this season, with him allowing 11 home runs and walking 42 batters, both near his totals for all of 2022.

He had a rough start in rookie ball when he returned to the mound June 27, surrendering 10 hits and 11 runs in 2.2 innings, but looked much better in a July 2nd start for the Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He went five innings in that contest, surrendering three hits and one run and striking out 10 batters.

The Blue Jays are 45-40 but sit in fourth place in the difficult AL East. Having Manoah return to form could be crucial for the team as they fight for their playoff lives later in the season.