Angels Recall Veteran Infielder for First Start Since 2023
Even if you are not a Los Angeles Angels fan, it will be hard not to be rooting for one member of the Halos on Monday night.
Ahead of their game against the Houston Astros on Monday, the Angels announced that they have selected the contract of infielder Trey Mancini. The MLB veteran has been in and out of organizations since he was released by the Chicago Cubs back in 2023, the last time he suited up in a major league game.
#Angels transactions:
— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) June 8, 2026
•Recalled INF Denzer Guzman from Triple-A Salt Lake
•Selected the contract of INF Trey Mancini
•Placed INF Vaughn Grissom (left oblique strain) on 10-day IL (retro to June 5)
•Placed INF Adam Frazier (right elbow inflammation) on 10-day IL (retro to June…
Since then, he's signed minor league deals with the Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins and Arizona Diamondbacks, but has never stuck around long enough to crack their big league rosters. He also played 51 games for the Astros in 2022 and won a World Series ring with the team after he was traded from the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline.
In January, Mancini agreed to a minor league deal with the Angels and attended Spring Training with the club. He failed to make the Opening Day roster and was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake City, where he has been putting in work. In 52 games, Mancini is slashing .273/.377/.464 with six home runs, 29 RBI and three stolen bases.
#Angels lineup vs Astros with Denzer Guzman at 3B and Trey Mancini at 1B pic.twitter.com/k52XjDo8ax
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) June 8, 2026
What makes Mancini's deal with the Angels a little different than other teams is that it reunited him with the team's hitting coach Brady Anderson. Ken Rosenthal of The Athleticwrote about how the two met in 2015, shortly after Mancini was drafted by the Orioles. Mancini was taking swings at the Orioles' rookie camp, and Anderson asked him to be sent to the major league complex so that he could work on his swing.
Anderson completely changed Mancini's stance, and the results were immediate. Mancini broke out that year, hitting 21 home runs and posting a .983 OPS across High-A and Double-A. Mancini credits Anderson with completely rejuvenating his career, and the two hope that they can rekindle that chemistry with the Angels more than a decade later.
Mancini placed third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2017, which was the first of four consecutive seasons with at least 20 home runs. In 2019, Mancini broke out as a bona fide star, crushing 35 home runs with 97 RBI and an .899 OPS. It certainly appeared that he was well on his way to becoming a superstar with the Orioles.
Trey Mancini - Salt Lake Bees (6) pic.twitter.com/JNGkaC0p8F
— MiLB Angels HR Video (@MiLBAngelsHR) June 8, 2026
In April 2020, Mancini announced that he had been diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer and that he would miss the entire season to undergo chemotherapy. By November 2020, Mancini announced that he was officially cancer-free and returned to the Orioles for Spring Training in 2021. He appeared in 147 games that season and won the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
On Monday, Mancini will make his first start since 2023, batting seventh for the Angels and suiting up at first base. It has been a disappointing season yet again for the Halos, but for Mancini, Monday's game represents the culmination of a long road back to the big leagues and the next chapter in his story of perseverance.
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This story was originally published June 8, 2026 at 7:59 PM.