Angels might be delaying inevitable with Alek Manoah at this point

The Los Angeles Angels made a slew of roster moves ahead of Thursday's Opening Day game against the Houston Astros and among them was placing starting pitcher Alek Manoah on the 15-day injured list with a fingernail blister.

The issue became a problem for Manoah on March 17 and it never got any better. The right-hander will now open the season on the IL, though his time away from the mound isn't expected to drag much beyond the first few weeks of the season.

Manoah, however, may already have lost whatever footing he was standing on. Not only was his performance this spring uninspiring, but he was outplayed by two of the young guns on LA's roster. With Jack Kochanowicz and Ryan Johnson earning a spot on the Angels' Opening Day roster, is there really a place for Manoah moving forward?

Alek Manoah doesn't belong on the Angels roster

Manoah appeared in five Cactus League games this spring. Though his first two outings may have reminded some of the All-Star who was toeing the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays back in 2022, his final trips to the bump were shades of the fallen star who's been an afterthought since 2024.

Over his final three appearances this spring, Manoah logged 10⅓ innings of work and allowed 16 earned runs on 19 hits — five of which cleared the fence. Furthermore, he had no command of the strike zone with 11 walks and 12 punch outs.

The Angels aren't going to designate Manoah for assignment, even though they should. In all likelihood, the hefty hurler will be sent on a rehab assignment to Triple-A to prove that his poor performance this spring was a result of injury. If he can do that, perhaps he'll get another shot. If not, the Halos need to drop him like a bad habit.

In addition to Kochanowicz and Johnson — both of whom shined during the Angels' final spring tuneup — LA also has last year's first-round draft pick Tyler Bremner waiting in the wings.

For the moment, the Halos are being patient with their top prospect. But anyone who's paid attention to this team over the last few seasons knows that patience is not a virtue held by Arte Moreno and the Angels' decision-makers. No one will be shocked if Bremner is in the big leagues before the All-Star break.

Grayson Rodriguez is joining Manoah on the IL at the beginning of the season, but his outlook is much brighter. While you can never have enough pitching depth, it's difficult to see Manoah as anything more than dead weight at this point.

If Manoah's DFA'd, it's unlikely he'll be claimed off waivers and can be sent back down to the minors to continue to work on his mechnics. Manoah is the type of project that teams store away down in the minors, but he has no business occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.