Alek Manoah Returns as Angels Activate Him for 2026 Debut
alek manoah is back on a major league roster. The Los Angeles Angels activated him from the injured list and sent Sam Aldegheri to Triple-A Salt Lake, clearing the way for Manoah’s 2026 debut after a long absence from a big league mound.
Angels Clear A Roster Spot
The move gives the Angels another arm after Manoah spent opening weeks working back from a contusion on the middle finger of his right hand. He had been left off the Opening Day roster because of that injury, then moved through spring training and a rehab assignment before getting the call back.
Manoah’s spring line was uneven. In five appearances, he logged 15⅓ innings, struck out 13 batters and walked 14 while posting a 9.39 ERA. His only rehab outing came for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, the Angels’ Low-A affiliate, where he allowed six runs on seven hits in 4⅓ innings, with two home runs, two strikeouts and two walks.
Manoah’s Long Road Back
The return matters because Manoah has not been on a Major League mound since 2024. Since his All-Star campaign in 2022, he has gone 4-11 over 24 Major League starts with a 5.40 ERA, a stretch that leaves little margin for error if the Angels want him to settle into a useful role quickly.
That recent record is the friction point in this story. He is back, but the numbers from spring and rehab do not point to a clean reset. The Angels are giving him the chance anyway, which is why this promotion reads less like a formality and more like a test of whether his body and command are ready at the same time.
Toronto Series Looms For Angels
Walbert Ureña is slated to start for the Angels on Wednesday, and the club has not announced its pitching plans for the rest of the week. What comes after that is more pointed: the Angels travel to Toronto over the weekend for a three-game series against the Blue Jays, Manoah’s former team.
For Manoah, that trip offers the first immediate chance to show whether the promoted version is closer to the pitcher who reached the All-Star level in 2022 or the one who has spent the past two seasons trying to find his way back. For the Angels, the roster move answers one need now and opens another: whether he can give them usable innings before the trip north gets here.
