TORONTO – It once seemed that Alek Manoah was the future ace of the Toronto Blue Jays. That possibility has come to a surprising end.
Manoah was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays on Tuesday to make space on their 40-man roster for the return of veteran slugger Anthony Santander. Toronto general manager Ross Atkins spoke to media during the seventh inning of Toronto’s 4-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox to explain what the thinking was behind Manoah’s exit.
“These are always tough decisions,” said Atkins in the press box at Rogers Centre. “This just came down to a roster crunch, and I was feeling like this is the best decision for us to hold depth and support for this staff as we push forward in very important weeks.
“We chose others over him, obviously. So it was very tough, a very difficult decision. They always are.”
Manoah has not pitched for Toronto this season after having Tommy John surgery in June 2024 to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow.
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The 27-year-old Manoah has a 29-20 career record, with a 3.34 earned-run average and 412 strikeouts over four seasons, although the final year was shortened by the injury to his elbow.
Manoah finished eighth in rookie of the year voting in 2021 after earning a 9-2 record with a 3.22 ERA and 127 strikeouts.
He followed that up the next year with a 16-7 record, a 2.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts over 196 2/3 innings. That performance earned him all-star honours and he finished third in Cy Young Award voting as the best pitcher in the American League.
Manoah struggled in 2023, going 3-9 in 19 starts with a 5.87 ERA and 79 strikeouts. In his abbreviated 2024 he had a 1-2 record with a 3.70 ERA and 26 strikeouts before needing surgery.
“It’s a tough decision, obviously,” said Blue Jays manager John Schneider in his post-game news conference. “And going back a few years, Alek has been right in the thick of a lot of things that went really well for us.
“I give him all the credit in the world for working his tail off to get back. It’s tough, you know, he’s an infectious guy and pitched a lot of big games for us.”
Manoah can now be claimed off waivers by other Major League Baseball teams. If no one claims him, he can elect to become a free agent.
He showed promise in seven rehab starts for the triple-A Buffalo Bisons this season with a 2.97 ERA over 33 1/3 innings. He struck out 30 and allowed six home runs in that span.
But Toronto (90-67) is first in the American League East with five games left in the regular season. The Blue Jays’ magic number to clinch the division title — and likely home-field advantage in the post-season up to the AL Championship Series — puts the club in a win-now state of mind.
Atkins said there was no specific way in which Manoah was coming up short in his rehabilitation.
“I don’t think there was really any areas that stood out more than others,” said Atkins. “It’s really just a tough decision for us that we felt like we had more support from other individuals that were here now, in the short term.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 23, 2025.