Alek Manoah is back with Kurt Suzuki's Angels, and the former Blue Jays All-Star says the grind back has changed how he sees the game.
That is the real weight behind Manoah's latest comments as he gets set to rejoin a big-league roster and head into a weekend series against Toronto. The matchup brings a little extra edge because his best years still belong to the Blue Jays.
Manoah was activated from the injured list on May 6, giving him his first MLB roster spot since 2024 after a long recovery from Tommy John surgery on June 17, 2024.
He framed that road in blunt terms. Manoah said it had been 688 days since the surgery and called it a fun journey, adding that he was thankful for the ups, the downs, and everything in between.
That line lands because the road really did get messy. Manoah did not just come back from elbow surgery. He also opened 2026 on the injured list after losing the nail on his right middle finger during Spring Training, which delayed his Angels debut even more.
So this is not some clean comeback story where the date finally arrives and everything resets. It is a pitcher still pushing through layers of frustration, still trying to get his body and his stuff all the way back.
The Angels are also easing him in. Suzuki said Manoah is joining the bullpen as a long reliever for now, with the club planning to reevaluate after that.
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Manoah's Toronto history gives this return more edge
That role matters, but the setting matters more. The Angels open a 3-game set at Rogers Centre on Friday, so Manoah's first days back in the majors come with a direct trip into the Blue Jays' building.
For Toronto fans, that is a loaded sight. Manoah was once one of the faces of the club's rotation, the power arm who made 31 starts in 2022, finished third in American League Cy Young voting, and looked like a long-term pillar.
Now he shows up in different colors, trying to rebuild his value with the Angels after signing a 1-year, $1.95 million deal in the offseason.
The encouraging part for Los Angeles is that Manoah sounds ready to do whatever is needed. He said he told Suzuki and general manager Perry Minasian he is ready to go whenever his name is called, whether that means a bullpen card or something bigger later.
That is a different version of Manoah than the one Blue Jays fans first knew. Not the young ace storming through lineups, but a veteran starter learning how to fight his way back one smaller step at a time.
And that is what makes this Blue Jays reunion interesting. The numbers and the role can wait for a minute. Right now, the bigger story is that Alek Manoah finally made it back to the majors, and he is walking back into Toronto with a lot more scar tissue than swagger.
Will Alek Manoah carve out a real role with the Angels after this return?
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