Baltimore Orioles

Baltimore Orioles players and staff members surprised outfielder Trey Mancini with a video call to offer their support after he announced he's been diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.

The Orioles provided a snapshot from the call Saturday with everyone holding up "F16HT" signs featuring the slugger's No. 16:

Mancini posted an essay Tuesday entitled "I Am So Lucky" on The Players' Tribune. He confirmed he started chemotherapy treatments April 13 and thanked the Orioles for their efforts:

"And without the Orioles I never would have caught this before it may have been too late. There was really no indication that anything was wrong other than me just feeling a little more tired than normal. Everything that comes up when you google colon cancer? I didn't have any of it. And so without that second blood test I probably would not have discovered the tumor until I had a total blockage of my colon. Instead, from the day I was diagnosed to when the tumor was removed was just six days—March 6 to March 12."

The 28-year-old Florida native said his treatment will take six months, adding "If baseball returns in 2020, it will probably be without me." He's already looking forward to next year, though.

"I've got other things to worry about right now, though. I know that," he wrote. "But still, every once in a while I catch myself thinking ahead—to when chemo is over, to when they remove my port, to when I can start going full-speed again. And I already can't wait for spring training."

Mancini has spent his entire career with the Orioles since the franchise selected him in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB draft. He made his major league debut in 2016.

Baltimore Orioles slugger Trey Mancini provided a positive update Wednesday, telling MASN he plans to return to baseball after undergoing cancer treatment:

"I fully expect to make a full recovery and be back," he said. "... I have no doubt in my mind I'll be back playing baseball." 

Mancini noted the risks involved, including neuropathy, but indicated he chose his treatment plan to minimize the risk of that side effect and will try to return in time for the 2021 season.

The 28-year-old announced in an essay for The Players' Tribune that he has stage 3 colon cancer and began chemotherapy on April 13.

The Orioles first announced in early March that Mancini was set to have a "non-baseball medical procedure."

The team later announced he had surgery on March 12 to remove a malignant tumor from his colon, via Roch Kubatko of MASN.

General manager Mike Elias provided an update on Mancini in April indicating he would eventually return to the field.

"His health status, personally, the way that the operation went, and the kind-of demographics age-wise and health-wise that he resides in going into this puts him in a really good spot to make a 100 percent recovery both from a general health standpoint, but also a baseball sense," Elias said, per Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun.

The GM added the recovery would take "months rather than weeks."

The 2020 MLB season has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Mancini indicated he is looking toward next year for his return.

"My treatment will take six months—every two weeks for six months," he wrote. "If baseball returns in 2020, it will probably be without me."

However, he is still encouraged about recovering and returning to the sport eventually.

Baltimore Orioles slugger Trey Mancini doesn't expect to play in 2020 if the season does happen amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Mancini was diagnosed with colon cancer in March and had a malignant tumor removed. The 28-year-old wrote Tuesday in a piece for the Players' Tribune that he has stage 3 colon cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy.

"My treatment will take six months—every two weeks for six months," Mancini said. "If baseball returns in 2020, it will probably be without me."

He first became aware of an issue during spring training when blood tests showed he had low iron levels. Mancini wrote that while his father was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer at the age of 58 in 2011, he didn't expect to have colon cancer at his relatively young age.

Doctors thought he might have celiac disease or a stomach ulcer before determining he had colon cancer.

Mancini also discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the chemotherapy process for him:

"I'm getting chemo at a hospital in Baltimore, and I have to drive up there alone. Nobody is allowed to come in with me, and that's completely fine by me. I don't want anybody else being put at risk — people that are close to me and that I love, and other people in the hospital. You just never know. COVID-19 has spread so quickly. I'm definitely trying to follow all the protocols, not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because I don't want to expose myself to anything, especially before going into chemotherapy."

After the NBA and NHL suspended their regular seasons in March because of the coronavirus, MLB followed suit by shutting down spring training. The MLB regular season had been scheduled to begin March 26, but it is now unclear when or if the season will start.

If the 2020 season does happen and the Orioles are without Mancini, they will be missing their most dangerous offensive weapon from last season.

The first baseman and outfielder enjoyed a career year in 2019, as he hit .291 with personal bests in home runs (35), RBI (97) and runs scored (106). It represented a strong bounce-back from 2018 when Mancini hit just .242 with 24 homers and 58 RBI.

Mancini finished third in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2017 when he hit .293 with 24 home runs and 78 RBI.

After finishing with the second-worst record in MLB last season at 54-108, the O's are once again expected to be near the bottom of the league whenever play resumes, especially without their best hitter in the fold.

Baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. has launched a campaign to raise money for families during the coronavirus pandemic.  

Ripken announced a contribution of $250,000 to the Strike Out Hunger 2020 campaign that will provide meals to families suffering from financial hardship during the pandemic:

The Baltimore Orioles legend told David Ginsburg of the Associated Press the campaign has the "infrastructure and the resources to help now," and that it will run "temporarily until things get back to normal."

The Ripken Foundation was started in 2001 to work alongside youth service organizations to provide at-risk youths with programs that help build teamwork and communication through various programs. 

Baltimore Orioles reliever Mychal Givens has denied allegations of abuse made by his estranged wife Tiffani. 

Per TMZ Sports, Tiffani Givens said in several Facebook posts that the right-handed pitcher stalked and stole from her and sent her abusive messages. She said he made her life "a living hell" over the past year. 

Mychal Givens told TMZ the allegations are false and "vehemently" denied the allegations.

Tiffani wrote on Facebook that Mychal broke into her house and stole items this week. Per TMZ, the police were called out to the house but filed no charges. Givens wrote the following about the incident:

"He continues to be emotionally and mentally abusive to me and doing all of this today IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN."

"Pray for me guys I have tried EVERYTHING to maintain sane in this 15 months of hell and this s--t is still continuing how does one deal with this for so long the emotional and mental toll this takes on you is absolutely draining and NO ONE SHOULD EVER BE AN OUTLET FOR THIS TYPE OF ABUSE."

Mychal's representatives told TMZ the couple is in the process of divorcing and that the police determined the matter was civil, not criminal, when they investigated the situation: 

"The police have never found wrongdoing by Mr. Givens. The police have never detained him, nor charged him with anything. Instead, he peacefully collected his personal belongings and left the residence."

"Also, during the recently concluded two-day custody trial, nobody made any allegations of abuse of any kind. Mr. Givens vehemently denies the false Facebook allegations. Divorce is always an incredibly difficult, personal matter for everyone involved. He is pleased the divorce is being properly handled by the court."

TMZ noted that Major League Baseball has been made aware of the situation. 

The 29-year-old Tampa, Florida, native could be subject to discipline from MLB under the domestic violence policy, but it's unclear at this time if the league is investigating the allegations.  

Baltimore Orioles first baseman and outfielder Trey Mancini underwent surgery to remove a malignant tumor from his colon on Thursday, per a statement from the team:

"Trey Mancini underwent successful surgery today to remove a malignant tumor from his colon. The tumor was discovered last week during a colonoscopy. Lab results and the timetable for Trey's recovery will not be known until next week. In the interim, Trey and his family continue to appreciate the respect for his privacy."

Orioles Executive Vice President and general manager Mike Elias also released a statement, per Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports: "We are doing everything in our power to ensure Trey recovers fully, and we can't wait to see him back on the field as soon as possible." 

Mancini released a statement as well:

The 27-year-old has played four big-league seasons, all with the Orioles.

Word that Mancini had a serious health concern emerged last Saturday when Orioles manager Brandon Hyde told reporters (h/t Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun) that Mancini would have a "non-baseball medical procedure" and could be out for an undetermined period of time.

One day later, Mancini posted the following on Twitter:

Dan Connolly of The Athletic provided more background on Mancini and the discovery of the tumor:

Mancini played college ball at Notre Dame prior to the O's picking him in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB draft. He rose through the minor-league ranks quickly, thanks in part to hitting .341 in 2015 in Single-A and Double-A.

He burst onto the scene in 2016 with three home runs in just five games before finishing third in American League Rookie of the Year voting the following season.

Mancini has 86 home runs and a .819 OPS in 462 games. He smacked a career-high 35 homers alongside an .899 OPS last year.

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Miguel Castro said he was robbed at gunpoint Tuesday in the Dominican Republic, according to TMZ.

"I'm alive by the mercy of God," Castro wrote in Spanish on Instagram. "They took my chain and they wanted to kill me. It's unbelievable."

The incident took place while Castro was traveling to work out.

"They took my chains when I got there and they almost shot me," he added, per Joe Trezza of MLB.com. "Thank God that their gun got jammed."

The Dominican pitcher was reportedly unharmed physically.

"We are in contact with Miguel Castro regarding today's incident in La Romana, DR and we are very thankful that he is safe," Orioles general manager Mike Elias said in a statement.

The 25-year-old has spent parts of five seasons in the majors, appearing for the Blue Jays, Rockies and Orioles. He spent the past three years in Baltimore, accumulating a 4.06 ERA in 226 total innings during this stretch, mostly out of the bullpen. 

In the box score, it reads as a flyout to right field. While factually correct, that doesn't necessarily tell the story of Stevie Wilkerson's incredible catch in the eighth inning Sunday against the Boston Red Sox. 

Wilkerson went full extension to rob a sure home run off the bat of Jackie Bradley Jr. Even more impressive, the Baltimore Orioles right fielder didn't even see the ball land in his glove as he hit the top of the wall.

Austin Jackson made a similar catch in August 2017 when he leapt over the wall in center field and landed in the Red Sox bullpen to deny Hanley Ramirez a homer.

MLB.com ranked Jackson's grab as the top play of the 2017 season, and Wilkerson will be a strong contender for the 2019 honor.

Despite Wilkerson's heroics, Boston still walked away the victor when Rafael Devers singled in the ninth to score Mookie Betts from first base.

The Baltimore Orioles etched their name on the wrong side of the MLB history books when they allowed their 259th home run of the season, breaking the 2016 Cincinnati Reds' all-time record.  

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Austin Meadows' solo shot—his 22nd of the year—off right-hander Asher Wojciechowski put the O's into sole possession of the record. Rays shortstop Willy Adames added another in the fifth for No. 260.

The 41-86 Orioles, who are in the midst of a significant rebuild, allowed a league-high 807 runs leading into Thursday. Although their pitching and defense have struggled significantly, they aren't alone in watching long balls fly at record rates. Eddie Matz of ESPN.com explained more:

"With power numbers up across Major League Baseball, Baltimore isn't the only team that has been giving up taters at a record rate. Through Wednesday's games, the Mariners, Angels, Yankees, and Phillies were all on target to surpass the '16 Reds...

"This season, 3.7 percent of all MLB plate appearances have resulted in home runs, up from 3.0 percent a year ago. Compared to 2014, when the leaguewide rate was 2.3 percent, home runs have increased by roughly 60 percent. If the current rate holds throughout the rest of the season, it would break the all-time single-season record of 3.3 percent, set during the 2017 campaign."

Matz also noted the O's were on pace to allow 329 dingers entering Thursday. Four Orioles have allowed 21 or more, led by David Hess' 28. 

With a blast by Kansas City Royals second baseman Whit Merrifield in the third inning of Wednesday night's game, the Baltimore Orioles tied the MLB record for most home runs surrendered in a single season.

Starter Aaron Brooks, who has now allowed eight dingers in eight starts for Baltimore, was responsible for the record-tying blast:

The dinger was the 258th coughed up by Orioles pitchers this season, tying the record set by the 2016 Cincinnati Reds.

And they still have 35 games to play.

As Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun noted, Baltimore had previously set the American League record (242) on Aug. 12.

A total of 33 pitchers, including three position players, have contributed to the cause. Four pitchers have surrendered 20-plus round-trippers, with David Hess (28) leading the way.

The Orioles have now given up 258 homers in 127 games, an average of 2.0 per game. That puts them on pace for 324 long balls over the course of 162 games.

Baltimore may not be alone in surpassing the 2016 Reds this season, though, as baseballs are flying out of ballparks across the league at an unprecedented rate. The Seattle Mariners (215), Los Angeles Angels (207), New York Yankees (207) and Philadelphia Phillies (203) have all eclipsed the 200 mark, putting them on pace to challenge 258.

It may not be long before the Orioles have the record all to themselves, as they will host the Tampa Bay Rays at Camden Yards on Thursday night.