The Los Angeles Angels outrighted right-handed pitcher Alek Manoah to the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, after he cleared waivers.
The transaction removes the 28-year-old from the 40-man roster, which now stands at 39 players.
Recent Performance and Demotion
Manoah was optioned to the minor leagues on Sunday following a rough relief appearance against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday.
In that game, he surrendered eight earned runs, six hits, and three walks while recording two strikeouts over 1.1 innings in a 15-2 loss.
The Angels initially signed Manoah to a $1.95 million contract during the offseason as a bet on a potential career turnaround.
Because he possesses more than four years but less than five years of Major League service time, he retains the right to elect free agency.
However, industry analysts do not expect Manoah to enter the open market.
Choosing free agency would require him to forfeit the remaining $1.35 million left on his contract.
Players need five years of service to reject an outright assignment and keep their salary.
The demotion coincided with the Angels reinstating starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez from the injured list.
Rodriguez had missed time due to multiple arm issues during spring training and was scheduled to start the final match of the Freeway Series against the Dodgers.
Manoah started his 2026 campaign on the injured list with a middle finger contusion and made just one rehab appearance with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.
Upon activation, he threw a scoreless inning against the Toronto Blue Jays on May 8 and five scoreless frames against the Cleveland Guardians on May 11 before his recent outing.
Career Decline and Future
The right-hander has experienced a sharp decline since his breakout 2022 season with Toronto, where he posted a 2.24 ERA and finished third in Cy Young Award voting.
He struggled with a 5.87 ERA in 2023, spent time in the complex league, and missed most of 2024 and 2025 due to surgery to repair the UCL in his throwing elbow.
After making five starts in 2024, Toronto designated him for assignment late last year.
He was briefly claimed by the Atlanta Braves but was non-tendered, allowing the Angels to acquire him as a free agent.
The Angels rotation currently features Jose Soriano, Reid Detmers, Jack Kochanowicz, Walbert Urena, and Grayson Rodriguez while Yusei Kikuchi remains on the injured list.
Manoah will have the opportunity to pitch out of the bullpen or work as a starter in Triple-A to earn his way back to the major league roster.
