Demoted all-star pitcher Manoah makes wins in simulated games at Blue Jays complex

Alek Manoah, the struggling all-star right-hander who was demoted this month by the Toronto Blue Jays, has made some progress in two simulated games since being sent to the team’s complex in Florida.

“Everything we talked about in terms of delivery and stuff was good, so we’ve taken some steps in the right direction,” manager John Schneider said Friday from Arlington, Texas, adding that the team is “really just looking at everything which was obviously different… if at all this year compared to the past two years.”

Thursday’s sim game was Manoah’s second since the 25-year-old pitcher was demoted from the majors on June 6 after going 1-7 with an average of 6.36 earned runs in 13 starts.

Schneider expects to throw at least one more sim game before starting a game for one of the team’s minor league members.

Manoah was Toronto’s first pick in the 2019 amateur draft when he was selected 11th overall from West Virginia.

After going 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA while making his big league debut with 20 starts in 2021, the six-foot-tall pitcher went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts last year to finish third in the American League Cy Young Award voting.

In his final start for the Blue Jays, Manoah failed to make it into the first inning against Houston on June 5. He was booed by the home fans as he allowed six runs and seven hits and gave up only one out on 38 pitches.