Former Baltimore Orioles Slugger is Eyeing Return to Major League Baseball

One of the Baltimore Orioles' former sluggers says that he's still staying ready in case there's a team around the league who gives him a call.

Jul 15, 2022; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Trey Mancini (16) reacts after hitting a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the third inning at Tropicana Field. / Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles have entered the time period where they are ready to compete for World Series titles.

After their 101 wins and best record in the American League came out of nowhere last year, there were huge expectations that this young roster would be able to improve upon that as their stars continue to get better and their elite prospects start getting called up.

So far, that has largely been the case despite some cold stretches which happen for every team over the course of a long season.

The Orioles will undoubtedly be buyers at the trade deadline, but what area of their roster they want to upgrade is largely unknown. How aggressive they're willing to be with their pipeline is also a question mark, considering general manager Mike Elias doesn't like to part with top prospects.

While they sit back and look for potential upgrades before the July 30 trade deadline, one of Baltimore's former sluggers is eyeing a comeback to Major League Baseball.

Trey Mancini hasn't played an MLB game since August of last year when he was with the Chicago Cubs. He was released by them and signed a minor league deal with the Cincinnati Reds, but wasn't able to crack their big league roster.

He tried to do that with the Miami Marlins this spring, but again, wasn't able to make it.

Still, he's not putting his Major League career to bed, yet.

"I'm definitely staying baseball ready and hitting some and staying in baseball shape," he told Roch Kubatko of MASN.

However, the 32-year-old also understands where he is at in his career and that it might be difficult for him to find a place on a team this season or going forward.

"There hasn't been too much coming my way on the Hot Stove either, though, so I understand where the game's going, I understand my age and my position, and I had an extended period of time where I wasn't performing like I previously had. So all that mixed together isn't the best combination ...," he added.

It will be interesting to see what ultimately happens for Mancini.

He had an incredible run with the Orioles, hitting .270/.334/.463 with 117 homers and 350 RBI during his six years with Baltimore.