Big Toronto Blue Jays' Free Agent Acquisition Battling Back Issue, Could Open Door For Alek Manoah's Return

Tuesday, 5:25 p.m. ET: Rodriguez has been placed on the injured list, which is seemingly a good indicator that Manoah could be back.

Tuesday 4:55 p.m. ET: After an inefficient start on Monday night, Toronto Blue Jays' starting pitcher Yariel Rodriguez is currently experiencing back discomfort.

Per Jays' reporter Arden Zwelling on social media:

Yariel Rodriguez is experiencing back soreness following his start Monday night — similar to what he dealt with during spring training. Club will see how he responds to treatment today and go from there

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Obviously, as Zwelling indicates, there is nothing officially known on how Rodriguez is doing at this point, but if he's forced to miss time, it could open the door for Alek Manoah to return to the rotation.

Manoah, who had a terrible 2023 and was injured in spring training, has been rehabbing in the minor leagues and appears healthy and built up. The question will be if he can perform after going 3-9 last season with a 5.87 ERA. He's gone 0-2 with an 11.85 ERA in the minors this year. He's allowed 18 earned runs in 13.2 innings.

It's been a stark fall for Manoah, who finished third in the American League Cy Young voting in 2022 and started the first game of the Jays' playoff run that year.

As for Rodriguez, he signed a five-year deal in the offseason. Even if his back is healthy, he could be ticketed for the bullpen to make room for Manoah if the organization deems him ready. He's gone 0-1 with a 4.11 ERA in four starts at the Major League level this year. He's only thrown 15.1 innings in those starts.

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