The Los Angeles Angels are barely worthy of even their own fans’ attention. Still, the return of first baseman Trey Mancini to the majors Monday night likely will go down as one of the season’s most heartwarming stories.Mancini, 34, made his first major-league appearance since July 31, 2023, a span of 1,043 days. His comeback was all the more notable considering how close he came to retiring after going 1-for-16 in the final four games of a series at Oklahoma City in early May.The demand for first basemen in their mid-30s isn’t terribly great. Mancini missed his wife, Sara, and his daughter, Sadie, who was born last October. He also had the perspective of a cancer survivor. Mancini missed the shortened 2020 season after undergoing Stage 3 colon cancer surgery.“Six years ago, I wasn’t sure how long I was going to live, what my life would look like, if I’d ever have kids,” he said. “Having my daughter has changed my perspective so much. In my mind, I’d been waiting my whole life to have a baby, and I’m here playing baseball, away from them most of the time. It hurt.”His hope was all but gone.After sitting out 2024, Mancini returned to pro ball last season, signing a minor-league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks just before spring training. He opted out on June 1, thinking he might get a major-league offer. None came.