Boy with leukemia and little brother signed to Hofstra baseball team

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (WABC) -- The Hofstra University baseball team is adding two new players to its roster.

The two boys are far too young to play, but old enough to enjoy the gesture.

The two young brothers are just 6 and 4 years old, and one of them is fighting cancer.

The other is his big brother's biggest supporter.

Sal Trotta is 6 years old and basically obsessed with baseball.

"Who's your favorite player on the Yankees?" Eyewitness News asked.

"Derek Jeter," Sal said.

But baseball has meant something else to him over the past nine months.

"We have watched baseball through all of our treatments through all of our hospital stays," said Dina Trotta, Sal's mother.

Sal was recently diagnosed with leukemia.

He's in remission, but still has to go through two years of chemotherapy.

"Sal was diagnosed back in August. The first thing he asked his doctors was will I be able to play baseball in the spring," said Frank Trotta, Sal's father.

Not only is he playing T-ball this spring, but he just joined the Hofstra University baseball team as an honorary member for the next two years.

His younger brother Vincent, who's been one of his biggest supporters, also got a spot.

The baseball team held a mock draft signing at Hofstra Wednesday.

"These are their honorary team member letters so they're officially part of our team," said Brett Johnson, of Hofstra baseball.

"Having kids like that on the team really shows you what's important in life. Struggles we go through is nothing compared to what Sal and Vin have gone through," Johnson said.

They got a taste of being on the roster earlier this week - hitting balls and playing catch with the team.

"Sal and Vin came to practice the other day. They also brought us these Super Sal bracelets that our whole team is wearing in support of Sal," said Ryan Donovan, of Hofstra baseball.

And little Sal will accomplish another dream this week because on Friday he's meeting the Yankees.

The entire thing was made possible by Team IMPACT, a group that matches kids with chronic illnesses with local college athletic teams.