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Angels Give Up on Struggling Former All-Star Pitcher
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- Angels Give Up on Struggling Former All-Star Pitcher
The Los Angeles Angels are cutting their losses with Alek Manoah .
On Wednesday, the team announced that Manoah was granted his unconditional release. The 28-year-old righty made just three appearances with the Angels this season, and was with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees at the time of his release. He pitched on Tuesday and allowed seven runs on just one hit; Manoah walked six batters, hit two more and the one hit he allowed was a grand slam.
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Los Angeles signed Manoah to a one-year, $1.95 million major league contract in December 2025, hoping that the former All-Star could finally rediscover his past form. After a strong rookie season in 2021 with the Toronto Blue Jays , Manoah established himself as a bona-fide star in 2022 by logging a 2.24 ERA and striking out 180 batters in 196.2 innings pitched.
That stellar performance yielded an All-Star selection and a third-place finish in AL Cy Young voting. Unfortunately, Manoah has seen a shocking fall from grace over the next couple of seasons.
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In 2023, Manoah mysteriously imploded with a 5.87 ERA in 19 starts and was demoted to the minor leagues twice. The next two seasons were riddled by shoulder and elbow injuries, including Tommy John surgery in 2024 that kept him out of the majors until this season. The Blue Jays designated Manoah for assignment on September 23, 2025, and after being non-tendered by the Atlanta Braves (who claimed him off waivers), the Angels signed him during the winter.
The Angels were willing to take a chance on Manoah due to a solid 2.97 ERA with the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons last year. However, Manoah also had a 5.84 expected ERA and a 5.93 FIP in those seven minor league starts, and he ultimately deteriorated further this season.
Manoah started 2026 on the injured list with a right middle finger contusion before making his return to the major leagues on May 8. His first two appearances with the Angels were scoreless, but he then allowed eight runs in 1.1 innings against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 16; control was a massive issue for Manoah in these three games, as he issued eight walks and struck out just five over 7.1 innings.
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These struggles prompted the Angels to option Manoah to Triple-A Salt Lake, but his results became even worse in the high-powered environment of the Pacific Coast League. Manoah allowed an unfathomable 55 runs in just 30.2 innings , amounting to a 16.14 ERA; he walked 42 batters, struck out only 26 and surrendered 11 home runs. His abysmal start yesterday was the nail in the coffin.
Manoah will now be a free agent, but with no solution to his issues in sight, it seems extremely unlikely that another major league club will take a flyer on him. Despite his past promise, this may unfortunately be the end of his major league career.
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Jul 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the MLB section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
