Alek

Manoah

It’s challenging to draw any conclusions from this outing since Manoah entered the contest with Los Angeles trailing by a touchdown in the fourth inning. He notched only two strikeouts and walked a staggering five batters. Amazingly, he managed to put five goose eggs on the scoreboard in the one-sided affair. His fastball velocity is starting to trend in the right direction, but he’s not close to being a fantasy-relevant option yet. He’s in line to take the ball on Sunday against the Dodgers. He’s not a recommended fantasy option in that spot.

It’ll be Manoah’s second appearance for the Angels after he threw a scoreless inning Friday against the Blue Jays. He gave up five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings in his one minor league start before being activated from the injured list last week.

Manoah will be active out of the bullpen on Wednesday, and it remains to be seen if he’s an option to take Yusei Kikuchi’s (shoulder) place in the rotation. The 28-year-old Manoah has been working his way back from a finger contusion he suffered in spring training and will pitch in his first MLB innings since 2024 when he does get into a game.

The 28-year-old right-hander is working his way back from a right middle finger contusion that he sustained during Cactus League play. He has already worked his way up to 90 pitches in simulated games, so it’ll be interesting to see how many rehab starts he’ll require before he’s an option to help out the Halos.

Manoah had been on the injured list with a right finger contusion for the last month, but this has also given the Angels a chance to continue to work with him and build up his arm strength. Manager Kurt Suzuki said that Manoah was “nearing a rehab assignment,” which could begin as soon as next week.

Manoah failed to make Los Angeles’ season-opening rotation after posting a bloated 9.39 ERA across 15 1/3 innings during Cactus League action. It’s fair to assume that the 28-year-old is completely finished as a fantasy-relevant option but the Angels are probably going to let him try to work things out in the minors over the next couple weeks.

It’s unclear how much that issue has impacted his poor performance his last couple of starts — or how much time (if any) Manoah may miss. The 28-year-old hurler is tentatively expected to open the season in the Angels’ rotation, but if he continues to struggle the leash there could ultimately be very short.

This just isn’t going to work, at least not at the start of the year. The Angels want Manoah to be their fifth starter, but he’s averaging 90 mph with his fastball and he’s walked 14 in 15 1/3 innings this spring. He does have options left, so the team could send him down and go with Sam Aldegheri or Walbert Urena in his place. Or maybe they’ll be able to pluck a better option off the waiver wire.

Manoah tallied four strikeouts and handed out a pair of free passes. He was burned by the lone ball in this outing as Austin Hays tagged him for a three-run shot in the opening frame before Colson Montgomery added a solo blast a couple frames later. The 28-year-old righty’s bid for a spot in Los Angeles’ season-opening rotation presently includes a bloated 7.15 ERA across 11 1/3 innings this spring. His fastball velocity remains trapped in the low-90’s, which is problematic to say the least. He’ll be left on the waiver wire in most fantasy leagues, even if he makes the Opening Day roster.

Manoah also issued five free passes while striking out three in the ballgame. He threw just 34 of his 64 pitches for strikes and walked in a pair of runs in the second inning. He then exited with the bases loaded and Aneurys Zabala served up a grand slam to Tyler Soderstrom that tacked on three additional runs to his line. Manoah got eight whiffs on the day, posting a CSW of 27 percent while his fastball velocity sat at just 91.2 mph (-2.3 mph). His chances his returning to fantasy relevancy in 2026 feel like an extreme longshot.