For Trey Mancini, the hard part is over.
Mancini this week completed the last of his prescribed chemotherapy treatments for Stage 3 colon cancer, which the Orioles' slugger had been undergoing at Johns Hopkins University Hospital bimonthly since mid-April. Mancini’s girlfriend, Sara Perlman, announced the news on Twitter.
The Orioles then sent Mancini a signed team photo with congratulatory messages to mark the achievement, posting Mancini’s reaction to opening the gift to their social platforms. The team is pictured in the photo wearing #F16HT T-shirts, which they’ve worn all season in support of Mancini.
The Orioles have worked with Mancini, 28, and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance since his diagnosis in mid-March to build awareness and advocate for yearly physicals and early screening.
“It’s going to take me a while to read all these, but this is incredible,” Mancini said in a video. “I’m speechless right now.”
On social media, support also flowed in from Mancini’s teammates, elsewhere across the baseball world and beyond:
Throughout his cancer fight, Mancini has said he is determined to return to the field in 2021. Whether that happens or not remains unclear, and it could be affected by factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic, given how Mancini’s condition puts him at high risk for the virus. Mancini was the O’s top run-producer in 2019, hitting a career-high 35 homers and batting .291 with an .899 OPS. He would return to a team that’s watched Anthony Santander and Ryan Mountcastle emerge this year as impact corner types, playing mostly right and left field, and also first base.
“So excited for Trey Mancini,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “He’s someone we care about immensely, and it’s so great to hear how well he’s doing. I can’t wait to see him soon.”
Roster moves
The Orioles swapped relievers prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Red Sox by reinstating Shawn Armstrong from the 10-day injured list and placing Dillon Tate on it. Armstrong missed exactly a month with inflammation in the SI joint of his left hip; Tate largely assumed his mid-inning setup role and pitched to a 3.24 ERA before suffering a right pinky injury, according to Hyde.
Hyde said Tate hurt his hand when he tripped in his apartment during Monday’s off-day. The right-hander’s season is over.
The club also recalled infielder Ramón Urías from its alternate training site and started him at shortstop in Tuesday’s series opener. Urías was summoned as coverage for José Iglesias, who has not played since being drilled in the left wrist on Saturday night.
40-man churn
The Orioles foresee quite a bit of a 40-man churn in their future, with three regulars needing to be reinstated from the 60-day IL, at least four top prospects to protect from the Rule 5 Draft and several trades still to complete. That process began in earnest last week and continued on Monday, when the club lost righty Carson Fulmer on waivers to the Pirates and successfully passed righty Cody Carroll through waivers.
The eighth overall pick in the 2015 MLB Draft, Fulmer made just three scoreless appearances for Baltimore after the O’s claimed him off waivers from Pittsburgh on Sept. 5. Carroll made three rough appearances in the Majors early this season before being sent to the alternate training site; he remains in the organization. Baltimore’s 40-man roster currently stands at 37 players.
Coaching turnover
The Orioles have informed six Minor League staffers, including three field coaches, that their contracts won’t be renewed for the 2021 season, according to multiple sources. One was Triple-A hitting coach Sean Berry, who was hired prior to the 2020 season. There was no Minor League Baseball played this season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Taxi squad
The Orioles brought along five players on their taxi squad for the season’s final road trip: catcher Austin Wynns, righties David Hess and Branden Kline, utility man Andrew Velazquez, and outfield prospect Ryan McKenna.