The Toronto Blue Jays are two games ahead of the New York Yankees for the AL East lead. They now invite the Boston Red Sox to Rogers Center, looking to clinch a division title. But their rotation will not get the major boost that they hoped it would get. The Blue Jays have DFA'ed pitcher Alek Manoah after three years of injury drama.
“News: The Blue Jays have DFA'd Alek Manoah,” Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reported.
Manoah was seen as the future of the Blue Jays' rotation in 2022. He finished third in AL Cy Young voting, was an All-Star, and posted a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts that season. But injuries began piling up, with Tommy John surgery to repair a torn UCL as the latest ailment.
Manoah made ten starts this year for four different Blue Jays minor-league affiliates. His AAA stats were strong, with a 2.97 ERA in seven starts for the Buffalo Bisons. But Toronto decided that he would not be a part of their rotation for this postseason or moving forward.
Manoah will likely be placed on waivers, where any team can pick him up. But he will not be eligible for the postseason with a new club. The former Blue Jays ace will now look for work for 2026. There are plenty of teams with starting pitching concerns that should take a look at him for next season. But the Blue Jays are among those teams and decided to part ways.
The news came just minutes after the Blue Jays activated Anthony Santander from the injured list. Their prized free agent has played only 50 games this season to brutal results after a 40-homer season with the Baltimore Orioles. With only six homers this year, he has a lot to prove in October.
Toronto opens its series in Boston on Tuesday night.
