Alek Manoah DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah (elbow) has been placed on the 60-day injured list on Monday. This is unsurprising as Manoah continues working his way back from Tommy John surgery. The organization is hopeful that Manoah can be an option for them in the second half of the season. Manoah was horrendous in 2023 and only made five starts with the Blue Jays last season. This move opens up a spot on the 40-man roster for left-hander Richard Lovelady. The southpaw posted a 4.46 ERA, and 1.31 WHIP across 34 1/3 innings with the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago Cubs last season. He has a good chance of making the team as a middle reliever to start the season.

According to Mike Wilner of the Toronto Star, Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Alek Manoah (elbow) hopes to return to the mound in August. The 26-year-old underwent a modified internal-brace procedure in his right elbow last June. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status throughout the first half of the campaign, as Manoah will likely begin facing live hitters sometime in June and embark on a rehab assignment in July. Last season across a small 24 1/3-inning stint with Toronto, Manoah held a 3.70 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. While he struggled during the 2023 season and posted a career-worst 5.87 ERA and a 1.74 WHIP, he held a strong 2.24 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP during the 2022 campaign. If Manoah can return to the mound and not face any setbacks during his recovery process, he could be a valuable fantasy asset during the second half of the 2025 campaign.

The Toronto Blue Jays moved right-hander Alek Manoah (elbow) to the 60-day injured list on Monday to make room on the 40-man roster for left-hander Easton Lucas, who they claimed off waivers from the Detroit Tigers. Lucas has been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. Manoah had already been ruled out for the rest of the 2024 season after having an internal-brace procedure on his right elbow after he was diagnosed with a sprained UCL in June. Not only will the 26-year-old miss the rest of this year, but he's unlikely to be an option for Toronto's starting rotation again until around midseason in 2025. The former 11th overall pick in 2019 out of West Virginia finished third in the American League Cy Young voting in 2022 before completely falling apart in 2023 and being optioned to the minors. He was only able to make five starts in 2024 before his elbow injury, allowing 16 runs (10 earned) on 17 hits (five homers) while walking eight and fanning 26 in 24 1/3 innings.