ANAHEIM -- A day after veteran reliever Kirby Yates was reinstated from the 15-day injured list, fellow right-hander Alek Manoah was activated from the IL prior to Wednesday’s series finale against the White Sox.
Manoah, who opened the season on the IL after losing the nail on his right middle finger during Spring Training, is joining the bullpen as a long reliever. He made one rehab start with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Saturday, allowing six runs (five earned) over 4 1/3 innings. However, Manoah said he feels ready and is thrilled to be back in the big leagues following his Tommy John surgery on June 17, 2024 -- just a few weeks after his last MLB appearance on May 29.
“It feels great,” Manoah said. “It's been 688 days since my surgery. So just excited to be here. It's been a fun journey. I'm thankful for all the ups and downs and everything in between. So just happy to be active.”
Manoah, who signed a one-year, $1.95 million deal in the offseason, competed for a spot in the Angels’ rotation in Spring Training before losing his fingernail after his start on March 17. But after a throwing program in Arizona, Manoah got up to 87 pitches in his start on Saturday, which will give the Halos’ bullpen a much-needed boost.
“Right now we need an arm in the bullpen,” manager Kurt Suzuki said. “So he'll be in the bullpen down there to give us an extra arm. And then we’ll reevaluate where we are after that.”
Lefty Sam Aldegheri, who allowed two runs over four innings in a spot start on Tuesday, was optioned back to Triple-A Salt Lake. The Angels will now have to decide who takes that spot in the rotation going forward with lefty Yusei Kikuchi on the IL with left shoulder inflammation. For now, Manoah will be in the bullpen, telling Suzuki and general manager Perry Minasian that he’s willing to pitch in that role.
“I am on that bullpen card,” Manoah said. “I just expressed my interest to Zuk and Perry and just told them, ‘I'm ready to go, whatever this team needs.’ So I’m ready to go whenever my name is called.”
Manoah is looking to recapture his All-Star form that he had with the Blue Jays in 2022, posting a 2.24 ERA in 196 2/3 innings. The 28-year-old has a career 3.34 ERA in 420 innings across parts of four seasons. His velocity has been down a bit, with his fastball around 90-91 mph in his rehab outing compared to 93-94 mph when he was with Toronto.
Manoah said he felt good during his rehab outing and compared his current mentality to what lions and gazelles go through in nature.
“The big leagues isn't for comfort,” Manoah said. “It's like the lion and the gazelle. The gazelle wakes up in the morning, he knows he has to outrun the slowest lion or he's going to be dinner. And the lion wakes up in the morning knowing he's got to go catch the slowest gazelle so he can feed his family. Long story short, you’ve got to wake up and run. That's the name of the game. So comfort level, who cares about any of that stuff? Let's go play some baseball.”