Alek Manoah is off Kurt Suzuki's 40-man roster, and the Angels just made clear how far his comeback has slipped.
Los Angeles outrighted Manoah to Triple-A Salt Lake after he cleared waivers. That dropped the club's 40-man count to 39 and turned a rough week into a sharper statement.
This was not just a paper move. It was the Angels deciding Manoah no longer needed protection on the roster after only a brief look in the majors.
That is a hard place for the former Blue Jays ace to land. The Angels signed him for $1.95 million over the winter, betting there was still something left to recover after injuries wrecked the last part of his Toronto run.
For a minute, that bet looked alive. Manoah opened his Angels stint with 2 scoreless relief outings, then gave the club 5 scoreless innings in Cleveland.
Then the floor dropped out. The Dodgers tagged him for 8 earned runs in 1.1 innings, and a few days later the Angels sent him down.
-
Why the outright stings for Alek Manoah
Getting optioned is one thing. Clearing waivers and being outrighted off the 40-man is another. That tells you every club passed on the chance to grab him.
Manoah still has enough service time to reject the assignment and choose free agency. But because he has more than 4 years and less than 5, walking away would also mean walking away from the money left on the deal.
That part matters. With roughly $1.35 million still to be paid, the safer play is staying in the system and trying to pitch his way back into the picture.
The bigger problem is where he stands on the depth chart. With Yusei Kikuchi on the injured list, the Angels still have José Soriano, Reid Detmers, Jack Kochanowicz, Walbert Ureña, and Grayson Rodriguez filling out the rotation mix.
And behind them, the organization already has George Klassen, Caden Dana, and Sam Aldegheri on the 40-man in Triple-A. Manoah is now chasing innings from outside that group.
That is a steep fall for a pitcher who posted a 2.24 ERA over 31 starts in 2022 and finished third in Cy Young voting. Back then, he looked like a long-term rotation piece.
Now the question is simpler and harsher. The Angels do not need Manoah to be a name anymore. They need him to be useful, whether that means getting stretched back out or finding a bullpen lane that sticks.
For now, Alek Manoah is still in the organization. But this move made the message plain: his comeback is no longer being treated like a roster priority.
Will Alek Manoah pitch in the majors again this season?
Also read on Blue Jays Insider :
Jesus Sanchez injury update after exiting the game in the 7th inning
