Angels Cut Veteran With .308 Batting Average in Roster Shakeup

The Angels made a somewhat surprising move to acommodate the return of Vaughn Grissom from the injured list.

Trey Mancini, who had a .308 batting average (4 for 13) in five games since his promotion from Triple-A Salt Lake, was designated for assignment. Andy Kostka of the Baltimore Banner was first to report the news Wednesday.

Angels designated Trey Mancini for assignment, source said. A great comeback for Mancini, however, who returned to the majors for the first time since 2023 and recorded three hits in his first game last week
— Andy Kostka (@afkostka) June 17, 2026

Earlier Wednesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reported that Mancini no longer had a locker in the Angels' clubhouse in Phoenix, where they're playing the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Vaughn Grissom has a locker in the #Angels clubhouse and Trey Mancini doesn’t.
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) June 17, 2026

Mancini signed a minor league contract with the Angels in the offseason on the recommendation of hitting coach Brady Anderson, who had previously coached Mancini in Baltimore.

When the Angels purchased his contract from Triple-A Salt lake ahead of his June 8 debut, it had been three years — 1,043 days to be exact — since his last major league game.

Mancini went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run against the Houston Astros in his first MLB game since July 31, 2023. It was one of the feel-good stories in a down season for the Angels, and Mancini's effort in merely making it back after a long absence was commendable.

Now, however, he cannot stay in the Angels' organization without being exposed to waivers. Grissom — who didn't play an MLB game in 2025, either — had been a productive hitter and versatile infielder before he was felled by a left oblique strain on June 8.

Grissom slashed .246/.325/.410, with four home runs and 27 RBIs, in 40 games prior to the injury. He saw time at first, second and third base — a more versatile defensive toolkit than Mancini, who is limited to first base and the corner outfield positions.

Grissom played only two minor league rehab games, Tuesday at Salt Lake and Sunday with Rancho Cucamonga. He had two hits and a walk in nine at-bats across the two games.

Mancini's promotion came after a strong showing with the Angels' top farm team. He slashed .273/.377/.464 in 52 games with the Bees, hitting six home runs and driving in 29 runs in 52 games.

When the Angels purchased his contract, "it felt like I was debuting all over again" he told Angels on SI.

"Basically everything I felt that day in 2016 is what I felt a week ago when I, I guess when I re-debuted," he said.

For now, Mancini's fate remains TBD. If nothing else, he'll have a good comeback story to tell his kids.

Add us as a preferred source on Google