Toronto Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah's recovery from a "cranky" shoulder took another step forward Friday when the righty returned to the mound for a live batting practice session.
Speaking to reporters after the outing, Manoah classified the shoulder troubles, which popped up after his first spring start on Feb. 27, as "mostly soreness and some inflammation."
On March 14, Sportsnet's Ben Nicholson-Smith reported that the 26-year-old had "been receiving daily treatment while continuing to throw off flat ground to maintain his release point."
"(It felt) pretty good. Ball was coming out of the hand pretty good. Mechanics were good," Manoah said about Friday's session. "Throwing a lot of strikes."
After finishing third in AL Cy Young voting in 2022, Manoah's struggles in 2023 resulted in multiple demotions to the minor leagues. So, dealing with a physical setback as he works on returning to the Blue Jays this spring was "frustrating" for the right-hander.
"The biggest thing for me ... is only controlling what I can control," Manoah said. "Do everything you can to work really hard in the off-season, come into camp ready to go and (have) everything feeling good.
"When something kind of barks up, you can play the pride game and try to roll through it, and that ends up kind of biting you in the butt in the long run," he added. "I think the biggest thing is keeping my mind on what I need to do today, what I need to do tomorrow when tomorrow comes, and when the next day comes worry about that. That keeps my mind in a safe space and keeps my feet right where they need to be."
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