Manoah exits due to right elbow discomfort, will undergo MRI

CHICAGO -- Just as things were starting to go well again for Alek Manoah, it took a turn Wednesday night in Chicago.

Manoah was removed from the Blue Jays’ 3-1 win at Guaranteed Rate Field with right elbow discomfort, leaving a cloud over an otherwise excellent series for the Blue Jays, who swept the White Sox.

Manoah threw a 91.4 mph sinker to Dominic Fletcher in the bottom of the second inning for ball one and bounced off the mound in discomfort. His catcher, Alejandro Kirk, immediately headed for the mound and was soon joined by Bo Bichette, which brought manager John Schneider and the Blue Jays’ trainer out of the dugout.

“I feel … it sucks,” Manoah said, pausing to collect his thoughts in the dugout tunnel after the game. “I have my faith in god. I’ve dealt with a lot of [stuff] this past year to get back to this point. This game is tough.”

Manoah first felt some discomfort in his last outing against the Tigers, but underwent treatment and felt confident he could pitch without any issue Wednesday. Early on, he felt like he was guarding his elbow, because when he would fully extend through a pitch, there was a “pinchy” feeling.

“I just mentally told myself, ‘Stop thinking about it,’” Manoah said. “It’s just a little achy. It’s fine. It mostly bothered me when I extend, so I think that mentally, when I told myself not to think about it, I didn’t guard it and I got more extension than I was on the previous pitches.”

Manoah will undergo an MRI on Thursday in Toronto and meet with doctors.

Who would take Manoah’s rotation spot?
Bowden Francis feels like the next man in line, whether it’s as a traditional starter or a bulk pitcher in a two-man tandem. The rehabbing right-hander threw 55 pitches over 3 2/3 innings in Triple-A on Tuesday, so his schedule lines up conveniently, as well.

This could be a repeat of the 2023 season, when Manoah was first optioned to Triple-A and Francis teamed up with Trevor Richards to cover a few “starts.” Let’s use last June 28 as an example, when Richards took the first three innings and Francis took the next four before handing off to the rest of the bullpen. Richards, in some fashion, will be a major part of the solution.

Yariel Rodríguez could soon enter the picture, too. The Cuban right-hander is rehabbing from thoracic spine inflammation and last appeared in a Triple-A rehab game on Sunday, where he threw 34 pitches over 1 2/3 innings.

Betting on two rehabbing pitchers to return just in time isn’t exactly a dream scenario for the Blue Jays, but their pitching depth has taken several hits since Spring Training, when it looked like their rotation depth was a quiet strength.

Wes Parsons and Mitch White, who both cracked the Opening Day roster, both pitch for other teams now. Top prospect Ricky Tiedemann, who could have been perfectly positioned for this moment, is still on the IL with ulnar nerve inflammation in his left elbow. He threw a bullpen Tuesday at the team’s complex in Florida. The Blue Jays’ only other starting options on the 40-man roster are veteran Paolo Espino and No. 9 prospect Adam Macko, who has looked sharp this season but is still only in Double-A.

Trickling down to the bullpen
The Blue Jays were already looking forward to Francis’ return as their bullpen needs a true long man to take some of the pressure off its other relievers. Richards was currently their closest thing to a “long man,” so if one or both of them are tied to a single start, that still leaves the bullpen vulnerable.

This is more complicated than one arm out, one arm in.

This could bring a bulk arm like Espino back into the picture while Brendon Little and Hagen Danner exist as 40-man options down in Triple-A, albeit in shorter bursts. Beyond Macko, No. 17 prospect CJ Van Eyk is worth keeping an eye on down in Double-A, too.

In the short term, this could be a puzzle that doesn’t have a perfect answer. Depending on the severity of Manoah’s injury and how quickly this club can get Rodríguez back, the Blue Jays may need to look outside their own 40-man roster for help, whether that’s in Triple-A or outside of the organization.

Manoah’s health is the first priority, though, as the organization holds its breath, hoping his comeback story hasn’t been derailed completely.