Orioles outfielder Trey Mancini left the team in March to undergo what was termed a non-baseball medical procedure. That procedure was later announced to be surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. Mancini was just 27 years old at the time of the surgery. On Monday, Mancini used the pages of the Players' Tribune to update everyone on his journey and his current status.
Mancini reveals that he was diagnosed with Stage III colon cancer and is presently undergoing treatment. Mancini writes that he began receiving chemotherapy on April 13 and will do so every two weeks for the next six months. Not surprisingly, Mancini also writes this:
"If baseball returns in 2020, it will probably be without me."
This isn't entirely surprising, given the physical and mental rigors of undergoing chemotherapy. As well, because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it's still not certain what the 2020 season will look like or when it will begin. Mancini's focus is very rightly on getting healthy.
The good news is that Mancini is faring well and maintaining a sense of optimism. He goes on to write:
"But I want everybody to know that I'm O.K. I know reading everything and seeing that I had a malignant tumor removed from my colon, it's a lot to absorb — believe me, I know. I'm not really big on social media, but I posted a video on Instagram after my surgery because I wanted people to see that I looked like myself and I was in good spirits.
And I have no doubt that, even when I'm doing chemo, I can work out and do some things. So, whenever the time comes for me to come back to baseball, I'll be ready. But I just want to make sure that I am physically fine before I go out there and start trying to perform again at a major league level."
There's lots more, including a recounting of Mancini's baseball journey from the youth baseball fields of Florida to emerging as the Orioles' best player, so give it a full read.
Mancini, now 28, is coming off a breakout 2019 season in which he hit .291/.364/.535 (135 OPS+) with 35 home runs and 40 additional extra-base hits while seeing time at three different positions. Given the Orioles' rebuilding status, trade rumors swirled about Mancini leading up to the July 31 trade deadline, but he remained in Baltimore.
