Veteran Outrighted by Angels in June Announces Immediate Retirement at 34

Angels first baseman Trey Mancini (34) reacts after hitting an RBI triple during the first inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Angel Stadium on June 12, 2026. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Trey Mancini announced his immediate retirement from baseball Tuesday, two months after his final game with the Angels.

A former World Series champion and American League Comeback Player of the Year, Mancini was outrighted by the Angels on June 21, four days after he was designated for assignment. Rather than report to Triple-A Salt Lake, Mancini elected free agency and did not latch on with another team.

Mancini has retired twice before in his career, which began with the Baltimore Orioles in 2016. He finishes with a .263/.327/.48 slash line in 836 career games with the Orioles (2016-22), Houston Astros (2022), Chicago Cubs (2023) and Angels (2026).

Mancini won the Comeback Player the Year Award in 2021 after beating Stage III colon cancer. He won a World Series with the Astros in 2022.

Mancini came out of retirement once to sign a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in February 2025, and again with the Angels in January. He wore down Triple-A pitching for a .377 on-base percentage, was promoted to the majors for the first time in three years, and hit .308 in five games with the Angels.

When the Angels purchased his contract on June 8, "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.

Mancini went 4-for-13 in five games with the Angels but was designated for assignment when Vaughn Grissom was activated from the injured list.

Mancini will be remembered more for his perseverance and his peak years in Baltimore than his brief time in Anaheim.

The Orioles drafted Mancini in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB draft out of Notre Dame. He made his major league debut three years later.

From 2017-19, Mancini averaged 28 home runs and 78 RBIs per season for the Orioles. He finished third in the 2017 American League Rookie of the Year voting, and saw time at three different positions.

"This game has been the focal point of my life since my parents signed me up for T-ball 30 years ago," Mancini wrote in a post to his Instagram account Tuesday, "and I have immense gratitude for everything it has given me. Thank you to everyone along the way who made it the journey of a lifetime."