Blue Jays' Alek Manoah: Activated ahead of 2024 debut

The Blue Jays reinstated Manoah (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday versus the Nationals in Washington.

Manoah will be making his 2024 season debut for the Blue Jays after he opened the campaign on the shelf with right shoulder inflammation before completing a five-start minor-league rehab assignment between stops at Single-A Dunedin and Triple-A Buffalo. The right-hander was far from sharp over the course of the minor-league assignment -- he posted an 8.69 ERA, 1.98 WHIP and 28:11 K:BB across 19.2 frames -- but he finished off his stint at Buffalo in dominant fashion, tossing six innings of one-run ball while striking out 12 and issuing just two walks this past Tuesday. The Blue Jays are hopeful that Manoah can eventually regain the form that made him a third-place finisher in the 2022 American League Cy Young Award balloting, but his fantasy managers may want to tread carefully before activating him. Much like the entirety of his rehab assignment prior to Tuesday, Manoah struggled mightily with his command and control during his time with the Blue Jays and various minor-league affiliates in a disastrous 2023 season.