Alex Manoa (25, Toronto Blue Jays), formerly known as the gumshoe to Hyun-jin Ryu (36), has suffered a sudden slump. Locals are calling it a mystery.

On Aug. 28, TSN in Canada published an article titled “Manoa’s mysterious year continues to baffle”.

Manoa was demoted to the minors twice this season after struggling to a 3-9 record and 5.87 ERA in 19 starts.  He was last seen on April 11 against the Cleveland Indians.

Manoa is also known to Korean fans as Ryu Hyun-jin Baragi. He had a spectacular season in 2022. He was the de facto ace of the team. He went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 31 games and finished third in the American League Cy Young voting. 

But this year, in his third year in the big leagues, he fell off a cliff. After going 1-7 with a 6.36 ERA in 13 games, he was demoted to the Rookie League for the first time in mid-June. At the time, Manoa was seen reuniting with Ryu Hyun-jin in the minors. He returned a month later after a rehab assignment, but was unable to regain his form.

His record was 2-2 with an ERA in six games. When Ryu returned, Manoa lost his spot again after just two games.

But this time, it wasn’t the same. Manoa isn’t pitching at all.

As TSN notes, “Manoa hasn’t pitched at all for the Bisons since being demoted to the minors on Aug. 12. What is Manoa doing, it’s an unanswered question.”

According to general manager Ross Atkins, Manoa is not injured. Instead of being sent to the minors, he is currently in Toronto, where he underwent a head-to-toe physical. It’s basically to double-check if there’s anything they missed.

“It’s just to make sure he’s in the best shape to come back,” Atkins said. It’s a chance for him to get a thorough check with the medical staff before he goes to Triple-A.”

Toronto reporter Keegan Mathieson expressed his puzzlement, saying, “It still felt very unusual given the urgency of the postseason race and Manoah’s status as a sixth starter.” 메이저놀이터

And TSN was “very vague about Manoa.” 

That’s because Atkins didn’t clearly answer the question. When asked if Manoa pitched through injuries, Atkins said, “If you look back at his career, all players have aches and pains. I’m not referring to Manoa specifically, but even in the off-season, (players) struggle, and we wanted to make sure, and if there was an injury, the medical staff would have told us,” he said, avoiding a direct answer.

When asked if Manoa needed a mental or physical break, he was vague: “As far as we know, he doesn’t need one or the other,” he said, adding that “we have to work on it mutually with each other.”

This has led to speculation that Manoa is unlikely to return immediately. “Manoa is probably going to be a conditioning piece,” the source said.