Alek Manoah will be in Toronto this weekend: he’s back in the majors

It's been a long time coming, but Alek Manoah is finally back in the majors.

The former Blue Jays pitcher, who started the season on the Angels' injured list, has been activated by the Anaheim club. He could therefore pitch this weekend… at Toronto's Rogers Centre.

#ANgels RHP Alek Manoah was activated from the 15-day IL today but he's in the bullpen as a long reliever instead of being called up as a starter: https://t.co/XVyrQqXVAs

— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) May 6, 2026

The former Blue Jays player underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024, and the Blue Jays chose not to call him up once he recovered from his injury in 2025. He was sent down to Triple-A and was eventually released.

This winter, the Angels gave him a chance, and he pitched in spring training. Since his fingernail injury, he has made one minor league start (on Saturday) to get back into shape. And now, he has been activated.

But here's the thing: the Angels didn't bring Manoah back to be a starter—he's in the long relief role. If he pitches in relief, it would be the first time in his pro career that he's made an appearance without being the starter.

Doing it in Toronto would be special for him, given his ups and downs in Canada.

The pitcher, who considers himself to have played an “important role” for the Blue Jays in 2025, is just happy to be back in the majors. He even used a gazelle-and-lion metaphor to explain that he has to survive in the majors.

We wish him good luck.

Alek Manoah explains his mindset after joining the Angels active roster pic.twitter.com/T6PyFu3FnQ

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) May 7, 2026

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