Baltimore Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini missed the entire 2020 MLB season after being diagnosed with colon cancer. He told reporters this week that his most recent blood work showed no tumor DNA. With the good news, Mancini is now on track to return to full baseball activities in time for spring training 2021.
Mancini, 28, was diagnosed with stage III colon cancer in March, underwent surgery to remove the malignant tumor from his colon and completed his scheduled chemotherapy treatments in September.
"Now, health-wise, I feel great. I feel totally like myself," Mancini said Wednesday on a Zoom call with reporters, including MLB.com's Joe Trezza. "I just wanted to get through it and attack it and get back to being me."
Mancini shared that he's been working out five days a week and taking light batting practice so far during the offseason. His plan is to gradually ramp up his activity as spring training nears, and assuming he continues to receive good news in his follow-up tests, he'll be ready to go in full capacity for the 2021 MLB season.
"There is no reason for me to believe if Spring Training started tomorrow, that I wouldn't be ready to go. Because I would," Mancini said. "When I get there in February, I really think everyone will look at me and not think anything happened, if they didn't know what happened. All my attention is turned back toward baseball."
Mancini says that the Orioles have not told him whether he'll be contributing regularly at first base or in the corner outfield for the 2021 season, but Mancini could also serve in the designated hitter role. In 2019, he played 56 games at first base, 87 games in right field and six in left.
Mancini was drafted by the Orioles in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB Draft out of Notre Dame. He finished third behind Yankees' Aaron Judge and Andrew Benintendi of the Boston Red Sox for American League Rookie of the Year in 2017. He hit .293/.338/.488 (120 OPS+) with 26 doubles, 24 home runs and 78 RBI in 147 games that season.
The Orioles also announced Tuesday that the proceeds of the #F16HT t-shirt sales, created in support Mancini, totaled more than $80,000 to benefit the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.
"It is unfortunate that cancer brought us together, but we are beyond grateful to Trey for sharing his story to help others get screened and highlighting the importance of being your own advocate if you suspect something is wrong," Michael Sapienza, CEO of the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, said in a statement. "Thank you Trey for helping amplify the importance of this disease that is impacting too many young individuals."
Mancini currently serves on the Colorectal Cancer "Never Too Young" advisory board, which advocates for all young onset patients and survivors.
