Braves claim Alek Manoah off waivers from Jays, Albies to 60-day IL

The Atlanta Braves claimed right-hander Alek Manoah off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, the teams announced, a low-risk move that gives the once-dominant pitcher a fresh start while the Braves clear a 40-man roster spot by transferring infielder Ozzie Albies to the 60-day injured list. Manoah was designated for assignment by Toronto earlier in the week to make room for Anthony Santander's return from a long injury absence, automatically placing him on waivers.

Manoah, 27, was an All-Star and a third-place finisher in American League Cy Young Award voting after a breakout 2022 season in which he went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA and roughly 180 strikeouts. He has since struggled, however, posting a 5.87 ERA in 2023, enduring limited work in 2024 before undergoing right elbow surgery in June of that year, and failing to make a major league start in 2025. Toronto had assigned him to Triple-A Buffalo this season for a rehab stint; he was 1-1 with a 2.97 ERA in seven starts with the Bisons before being designated for assignment.

Despite the surface numbers in Triple-A, advanced metrics and velocity raised concerns. Fielding Independent Pitching for those seven starts was a much...