Atkins high on Manoah's path back to the Jays
He's not on the Toronto Blue Jays' roster and is still likely weeks away from being there, but pitcher Alek Manoah wasn't going to miss out on the home opener festivities on Monday at Rogers Centre.
As for whether he'll be pitching for the team this year, GM Ross Atkins didn't hesitate in his prediction that it's a matter of time, not talent, with the big starter who has endured a rough ride during the past 12 months.
“I'm sure you're aware of the stuff,” Atkins said before Monday's 5-2 win over Seattle, the first of 81 home dates at the refurbished Rogers Centre. “It's just electric in nature. (On Sunday) there was not a lot of hard contact. He was a little bit out of sync, but the power is back, the depth of his slider is back. His athleticism on the mound is really, really impressive.”
As for the road back, Manoah will still get some work in at various minor-league levels and have to prove he's up to rejoining a team he hasn't competed for since last summer.
He'll certainly need to be more efficient than he was in a single outing in Florida on Sunday when the righty lasted just 1.2 innings, allowing seven runs in a fragile performance that included four walks.
Atkins was undaunted, however, noting the pitcher is
showing no ill effects from the shoulder injury that hampered him in the spring.
“Nothing is black and white,” Atkins said when asked if Manoah needed to “earn” his way back. “We'll weigh all the alternatives and obviously his track record matters.
“But it's not going to be just defined on having a six-inning shutout outing in Buffalo.”
As for the big team, Atkins was undaunted by the 4-6 road trip to start the season, one in which the offence struggled.
“Obviously a little up and down. We had some highlights and some lowlights. I feel really good about the work and the interactions and most importantly the mindset,” Atkins said.
“We're exceptionally confident that this group is going to score plenty of runs and I'm looking forward to the days ahead.”