Trey Mancini may not have logged a single at-bat in 2024, but he isn’t ready to hang his cleats up just yet. The veteran slugger recently spoke with the Baltimore Banner’s Andy Kostka, reflecting on everything from his cancer diagnosis to how his career tailed off over the past few years. The corner outfielder, first baseman and designated hitter also confirmed that he would be making a comeback attempt in 2025.
Mancini was once a reliable bat for the Baltimore Orioles, having made his MLB debut in 2016. By the end of the 2019 campaign, Mancini was a .276 career hitter with an .819 OPS, averaging 30 home runs, 84 RBI and 2.5 WAR per 162 games.
The following offseason, however, Mancini had a malignant tumor removed from his colon. He began chemotherapy to treat his stage 3 colon cancer shortly after, knocking him out for all of 2020.
Mancini hit 21 home runs and 71 RBI upon his return in 2021, winning AL Comeback Player of the Year, but the Orioles wound up trading him to the Houston Astros midway through 2022. He went on to win a World Series ring that fall, leading to a two-year, $14 million contract with the Chicago Cubs the ensuing offseason.
The Cubs designated Mancini for assignment a few months later, and his stint in the Cincinnati Reds’ farm system didn’t last very long either. He tried to latch on with the Miami Marlins this past Spring Training, but he failed to make the Opening Day roster and opted out of his contract instead of going back to the minor leagues.
Excluding the 2020 season, Mancini played in an average of 149 games a year between 2017 and 2022. For his career, Mancini is a .263 hitter with 801 hits, 129 home runs, 400 RBI, a .775 OPS and 8.4 WAR.
Mancini will be 33 years old by the the start of the 2025 regular season. He has been a free agent since March, so he is already eligible to sign with any team in the league.
