Trey Mancini Mulled Retirement Before Angels Call-Up

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Trey Mancini Mulled Retirement Before Angels Call-Up

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Logan VanDine | Last updated Jun 10, 2026 6:31 PM ET

Before being called up by the Los Angeles Angels on Monday, Trey Mancini thought about hanging up his baseball cleats for good.

During an appearance on the Foul Territory podcast on Wednesday, Mancini revealed that he was preparing to retire from baseball while also talking about his cancer diagnosis in 2020 that began to take a toll on his career.

"I was diagnosed with cancer in 2020 and I think it took a huge mental toll on me for the years after, which I didn't expect. I thought it was going to be, I go through chemo, and it would be done, but you're still really concerned about your health after the fact, and I think my confidence took a huge hit just slowly over the next few years," Mancini said.

"It took being away from the game in 2024 to get over that and admit to myself that I wish I could've snapped out of it a little bit better, but hindsight's 20-20," Mancini added. "It's incredible to be back and have the opportunity to play, and with that perspective, thinking that I was done. I felt a million miles away from baseball."

"I felt a million miles away from baseball."@TreyMancini says he was preparing to announce his retirement before a phone call from Angels hitting coach Brady Anderson convinced him otherwise. pic.twitter.com/3jGLxyKQhx
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) June 10, 2026

Prior to his Angels debut on Monday, it had been exactly 1,043 days since the 34-year-old last appeared in a major league game. After inking multiple minor league deals over the last couple of seasons, Mancini never returned to the big leagues.

And as he alluded to, when Mancini was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2020, that was also another steep hill he needed to climb. That kept him out of baseball for all of the 2020 season until he became cancer-free and returned in 2021 with the Baltimore Orioles to a standing ovation.

Now, after nearly mulling retirement, the veteran came back in the most wholesome way this week. He tallied three hits and an RBI for Los Angeles during their game against the Houston Astros just two days ago.

Trey Mancini drives in a run in his first at-bat since July 31, 2023 pic.twitter.com/hfB0l4DMQy
— MLB (@MLB) June 9, 2026

After nearly walking away from baseball for good, Mancini appears to be staying in the big leagues for now with the Angels, while cherishing the opportunity he has. Especially after all of the adversity he has faced both on and off the baseball field.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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