Pujols suits up in Dominican Winter League

Albert Pujols is suiting up again, this time in his native Dominican Republic.

The Liga de Béisbol Profesional de la República Dominicana (LIDOM) announced Thursday that the Santo Domingo-born slugger has been traded from the Gigantes del Cibao to the Leones del Escogido. Per a team release, Pujols is expected to join Escogido on Friday.

• Full MLB.TV broadcast schedule for LIDOM games

Pujols, 41, was selected by the Gigantes with the first pick of LIDOM’s inaugural rookie draft in 2002, but he has never seen winter ball action.

A three-time National League MVP, two-time World Series champion and 10-time All-Star, Pujols' future in the Majors is uncertain. He is a free agent after slashing .236/.284/.433 with 17 home runs and 50 RBIs in 109 games for the Angels and Dodgers in 2021.

After being designated for assignment by the Angels on May 6 in the final year of a 10-year contract, Pujols signed with the Dodgers, who sought his prowess against left-handed pitching. One of the best right-handed hitters of his generation, Pujols performed well for the Dodgers against southpaws, slashing .303/.347/.606 in 118 plate appearances vs. lefties.

Pujols has a career .297/.375/.544 slash line across 21 big league seasons. The 2001 NL Rookie of the Year ranks third on MLB’s all-time list in RBIs (2,150) and fifth in home runs (679). A future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Pujols also has 3,301 hits to his name, making him one of only four players (joining Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and Alex Rodríguez) to collect 600 home runs and 3,000 hits in the Majors.