Alek Manoah's rocky season up and down the Toronto Blue Jays organization appears to be coming to an end. As the Jays compete for a Wild Card berth, the former star pitcher could be out the rest of the way regardless of what level he's at.

Manoah had a putrid start to the 2023 season — posting a 6.36 ERA in his 13 starts, totaling just 48 strikeouts and allowing 41 runs — and was sent down all the way to the Florida Complex League. He made his way back to the Blue Jays in July and posted a 4.91 ERA in six starts. He was again sent down to the Triple-A level with the Buffalo Bisons in August but never pitched there, being placed on the inactive list.

Manoah hasn’t even done any serious practice pitching since being optioned back to the Bisons, according to Ben Wagner of Sportsnet, who adds that Manoah's representation was not happy with the performance-related demotion. That dissatisfaction, partnered with injury concerns, points to the end of Manoah on the mound until next season.

Indeed, according to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet, Manoah's 2023 season is likely over. The 25-year-old is prioritizing health amid issues with his back, knee and right quad and now, with over a month separating the present day from his last time on the mound, it's safe to expect his season to be over. He didn’t report to Buffalo right away after being demoted by the Blue Jays, taking weeks to get there.

“Manoah didn’t report right away as he was about to undergo testing in Toronto and it wasn’t yet clear whether a stint on the injured list would be required,” Nicholson-Smith wrote. “He would later report to triple-A, but was placed on the temporarily inactive list to free up a roster spot in Buffalo. More testing followed last week, and it’s now becoming likely Manoah’s season will end on the sidelines.”

The Blue Jays' pitching staff hasn’t missed Alek Manoah that much, as their starters have the best ERA in MLB even with his collection of clunkers weighing it down. Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, Kevin Gausman and Yusei Kikuchi have had promising seasons and Hyun Jin Ryu, who entered the rotation in August, has been pretty good outside of a rough first start, too.