Angels’ Call-Up Sets Up Interesting Weekend Reunion for Blue Jays
In this story:
An Addison Barger return. A Mike Trout visit. A desperate need to shift momentum in the midst of a four-game losing skid.
There is already plenty of intrigue ahead of a three-game weekend series between the host Toronto Blue Jays and visiting Los Angeles Angels. Now, the emergence of a familiar face from the Blue Jays' past as a member of the Angels promises to add another wrinkle to what is an important series.
Alek Manoah Returns to Toronto as an Angel
Los Angeles reinstated Alek Manoah from the injury list on Wednesday, bringing him back to the major leagues in time for the club's visit to Rogers Centre.
Manoah's last mound appearance at the big league level came on May 29, 2024 while he was still with Toronto, lasting just 1.2 innings before exiting due to a UCL sprain that would require season-ending surgery. Since then, he was briefly employed by the Atlanta Braves while injured before signing a one-year, $1.95 million contract with the Angels in December.
If Manoah does take the mound at some point this weekend out of the bullpen, it's unclear what type of response Blue Jays fans may offer.
On one hand, Manoah was a fast-rising phenom in Toronto, going 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA in 20 starts during his 2021 major league debut and enjoying an All-Star 2022 campaign (16-7, 2.24 ERA). However, the 2019 first-round pick would make only 24 more starts for the club, as injuries and a refusal to accept a demotion to Triple-A Buffalo contributed to a downward career spiral that ended in being released.
This could be Manoah's last chance. The 28-year-old didn't exactly wow observers leading up to his return to the majors, sporting a 9.39 ERA over five spring training appearances and then allowing five earned runs, seven hits and two walks in 4.1 innings during a rehab start at Single-A Rancho Cucamonga while working his way back from a finger contusion.
It's fitting that Manoah's return comes at Rogers Centre, where you could argue that his downfall began. After enjoying a sensational 2022 campaign that resulted in a third-place Cy Young finish (one spot behind current Blue Jay Dylan Cease), he crumbled under the pressure of a start in Game 1 of the Wild Card round against the Seattle Mariners (four earned runs in 5.2 innings) and took the loss.
Still, a return to big league duty after nearly two full years away represents a big moment for Manoah. And the fact that it comes back where it all started in Toronto makes the full-circle moment all the more significant.
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Ben Fisher is a long-time sportswriter and baseball lover, dating back to 2008, when he was a member of the media relations team for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has covered a wide range of sports for a seemingly endless array of publications, including The Canadian Press, Fansided and The Hockey Writers. When he isn't writing about sports, he can be found coaching his equally baseball-obsessed sons' Little League teams.