Eyes on the Bisons as Blue Jays' Springer, Manoah, Bieber work their way back
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The Queen City has suddenly become the place to be outside of the Rogers Centre, with several Jays — George Springer, Shane Bieber and Alek Manoah — all using the Bisons as a springboard to their eventual return to the majors.
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Manoah, for example, made his first rehab start in Buffalo on Wednesday for the Bisons, though it didn't go well for the one-time ace of the Jays pitching staff and Cy Young Award finalist.
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The right-hander recorded just five outs, yielding three runs on two hits, while issuing three walks, hitting a batter and recording one strikeout in a 9-4 loss to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
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Heading into the outing, the goal was to have Manoah throw anywhere from 70 to 75 pitches. Instead, he managed just 49 pitches, with only 27 going for strikes.
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Manoah underwent UCL reconstruction on hios right elbow last season after a five-game return to the bigs.
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His 30-day rehab clock began with a start in class-A on July 22.
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Springer, meanwhile, was finally cleared on Wednesday by Major League Baseball to return to play after taking a pitch to the head on July 28. The plan is for the veteran outfielder to pack his bags and head to Buffalo.
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Springer might get a chance to DH on Thursday for the Bisons and, all being well, should be back in the Blue Jays lineup within a few days.
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The former World Series MVP was in the midst of a renaissance season when he took a fastball off the side of his face in Baltimore by rookie Kade Strowd in the ninth inning. Camden Yards at Oriole Park was left in stunned silence.
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Thankfully, Springer did slightly turn his head after Strowd threw his 96-mph fastball, which is why the ball hit Springer's left ear flap. In other words, it could have been worse.
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Per baseball's concussion protocols, Springer had to check off many boxes before receiving the green light and was placed on the seven-day disabled list in the wake of his concussion diagnosis.
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What followed involved mandatory baseline testing and a specific return-to-play process aimed to prevent a premature return to play and ensure players are fully recovered before resuming activities.
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Being cleared by MLB is the first step.
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Mind you, it was odd that Springer was even in the game with the Orioles comfortably ahead 11-4.
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The hope is that the worse is indeed over for Springer, whose veteran presence and overall ability have been missed.
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Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account And if you don't, expect Toronto manager John Schneider to do it for you. What was anticipated (by some) to be a midweek walkover against the lowly Pittsburgh Pirates turned into a meek effort by the visiting Jays, who dropped two of three to the NL Central basement dwellers in a series they best forget quickly. An indifferent afternoon Wednesday at PNC Park, one that resulted in a 2-1 loss, finished it off for the Jays. At least they are still comfortably atop the AL East standings, but it sure felt like they squandered an opportunity to enhance that status. 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