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By Peter Chawaga
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Toronto Blue Jays have seen their lead in the American League East division disappear and they entered Friday in a tie with the New York Yankees with just one more series to go before the playoffs.
As the Blue Jays look to recapture their momentum and earn a first-round playoff bye in the final stretch, the team has made some harsh personnel decisions. Most notably, the Blue Jays designated former All-Star starter Alek Manoah for assignment to make room on the roster for Anthony Santander.
Manoah was unlikely to contribute to a postseason run for the Blue Jays, as he has missed most of the season with an injury and had yet to return to a big-league mound. But he was one of the team’s best pitchers just three years ago and the decision to clear him off the roster was harsh in that light.
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For team ace Kevin Gausman, the move hit home.
“I’ve become really close to Alek, and I love him even more as a human being than I do at pitcher,” Gausman said of the move, per The Athletic’s Mitch Bannon. “I know he’s going to be fine, but I’m going to miss being around him.”
The Blue Jays are experiencing some larger turmoil in the pitching staff aside from the Manoah move. The team recently placed veteran starter Jose Berrios on the injured list alongside Chris Bassitt, and Max Scherzer has seemed out of sorts in his recent starts as well. That all has raised the possibility of rookie Trey Yesavage earning a playoff start following Gausman and Shane Bieber.
Though nostalgia wasn’t enough to preserve Manoah’s spot on the roster in the crucial last stretch, the Blue Jays have to be hoping for a rotation resurgence in the near future.
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