Former Los Angeles Angels first baseman Trey Mancini has brought his comeback attempt to a close after five games with the club, according to a report from Steve Adams of MLBTradeRumors.com that cited Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com.
Mancini, 34, returned to Anaheim after nearly three years away from the game, a stretch shaped by injuries that had followed him through his career. He had spent parts of eight seasons in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros and Angels.
Looking back on the effort, Mancini said, “I think I knew over the last few years that I could still make it back up, and that was the main goal,” Mancini said. “Three years ago I felt so far away and removed from the game, and really at that point after getting DFA’d by the Cubs had lost all confidence. Just kind of wanted to be away from the game and thought I was done.
“But as time went on, something in me just wasn’t sitting right and I wanted to get back out there and at the very least prove to myself that I could still play, because I thought that I could. And I’m glad I did and glad I stuck it out.”
He also described how much the return meant on a personal level. Mancini said he was able to be at a game with his wife and young daughter in the stands, and he added that he “never in a million years” thought when his daughter was born in 2025 that he’d play a big league game in front of her.
Mancini’s big league path began when the Orioles drafted him in the eighth round out of Notre Dame in 2013. He didn’t make much noise in his first season, but he quickly became a fixture in Baltimore’s lineup, finishing third in Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .293/.338/.488 with 24 homers.
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