Trey Mancini still had the itch to continue his playing career this offseason and he’s getting that opportunity to keep his dreams alive thanks to the Arizona Diamondbacks, who signed him to a minor league deal this winter with an invitation to spring training.
Mancini’s comeback attempt is off to a strong start very early on this spring. He’s appeared in seven games for the Diamondbacks and is hitting .400 (4-10) with one double, no walks, and two strikeouts. Defensively, he’s seen all of his time at first base, getting one start so far on March 2nd, where he was Arizona’s designated hitter, going 1-4 with a single.
Should Mancini break camp with the major league squad in Arizona, it will be his first major league action since 2023 with the Chicago Cubs. Since winning a World Series with the Houston Astros in 2022, Mancini appeared in 79 games with the Cubs in 2023, hitting .234 with four home runs and a .634 OPS.
He was released in early August of ’23 and was picked up the Cincinnati Reds later that month on a minor league deal. The Reds released Mancini a week later after a big five-game performance in Triple-A, but Mancini was unable to latch on with another club ahead of the September 1st deadline to be postseason eligible.
Former Orioles’ first baseman Trey Mancini is making a good first impression with the Diamondbacks
Mancini did get a minor league deal to sign with the Miami Marlins before the start of the 2024 season, but was released late in spring training and remained unsigned until joining the Diamondbacks last month.
While seeing Trey Mancini back in the majors, for any team, would be a wonderful sight, he is facing quite the battle for playing time in Arizona. The Diamondbacks acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from Cleveland this offseason, likely pushing former Arizona first-round pick Pavin Smith to the DH role. Smith posted a 142 wRC+ in 60 major league games last year.
Now 32, it’s highly unlikely Mancini sees any opportunity in the outfield, and even if the Diamondbacks did want to run him out there occasionally, Arizona already has Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, Lourdes Gurriel Jr, Alek Thomas, and recently signed Randal Grichuck to handle outfield duties.
A fan-favorite in Baltimore and an inspiration to many, you hope that we get to see Trey Mancini back in a major league uniform again before he calls it a career but outside of an injury in Arizona, it’s going to be tough for him to break camp. Hopefully, his hot start to spring training continues and he’s able to impress another organization, if there isn’t going to be room with the Diamondbacks.