It’s been a long season of rehab for Sean Manaea. After shoulder surgery last September, the big left-hander didn’t return to game action in the minors until July. Even then, his first several outings brought shaky results, as well as a brief setback for soreness in his side. But he’s made significant progress since then, and his latest effort was downright dominant.
On Friday, Manaea pitched for Triple-A Las Vegas, and his line was eye-popping. He faced 23 batters and struck out over half of them, while allowing just three baserunners. Granted, the game was played in Tacoma, which is relatively on the pitcher-friendly side for the Pacific Coast League, but these numbers are impressive no matter where you post them.