The Toronto Blue Jays, after their 6-0 win over the Houston Astros, announced a pair of significant roster moves Thursday as they continue their push for the postseason. The team reinstated right-hander Alek Manoah from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Triple-A Buffalo, and in a corresponding move, Toronto designated infielder Orelvis Martinez for assignment to make room on the 40-man roster.
League rules dictated the timing of Manoah’s reinstatement. The 27-year-old had exhausted his 30-day rehab assignment, as well as three 10-day extensions, which required the Blue Jays to either activate him or return him to the active roster. The decision comes as Toronto remains in the hunt for its first AL East title since 2015.
Manoah is working his way back from UCL reconstruction surgery that ended his 2024 season in June. His last Triple-A outing came on September 6, when he threw 5.2 innings on 90 pitches, allowing six hits, seven runs (five unearned), two homers, one walk, and striking out five. Command issues aside, he has shown flashes of progress during rehab, posting a 3.09 ERA at Buffalo despite 12 walks in 23 1/3 innings.
The right-hander’s early MLB career featured a rapid rise. He debuted in 2021 with a 3.22 ERA across 20 starts, finishing eighth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. In 2022, he emerged as one of the league’s top arms, earning an All-Star selection and posting a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts, good for a third-place finish in the AL Cy Young race. However, his 2023 campaign unraveled with a 6.36 ERA over 13 starts, leading to multiple demotions and eventual controversy over whether his struggles were injury-related. In total, Manoah has appeared in 75 MLB games, recording a 3.34 ERA with 412 strikeouts in 420 innings.
The corresponding roster casualty is Martinez, once considered a star prospect. Signed in 2018 with a $3.5 million bonus, the second-largest international signing in franchise history, he rose quickly through Toronto’s system. He produced 28 homers in 2021, 30 in 2022, and 28 more in 2023, ranking inside the Blue Jays’ top-10 prospects from 2020 through 2024 and peaking at No. 2.
Martinez’s ascent, however, was derailed in 2024. After a brief MLB debut in June of that season, where he went 1-for-3, he received an 80-game suspension for testing positive for Clomiphene, a banned substance. Since returning, his production has plummeted. Across 99 Triple-A games in 2025, the 23-year-old slashed just .176/.288/.348 with 13 homers and 112 strikeouts in 394 plate appearances.
The infielder’s decline in performance, combined with Manoah’s mandatory activation, forced Toronto’s decision. Martinez will now go through waivers, where his age, positional flexibility, and prior power track record could attract rebuilding clubs. If unclaimed, the Blue Jays can outright him to Buffalo, though he may elect free agency in the offseason.
