Didi Gregorius of the Philadelphia Phillies bats against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on July 9, 2022 in St Louis, Missouri. He was released by the Phillies last August and has signed in the Mexican League with Algodoneros de Union Laguna. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)
Former Major League shortstop and Curacao native Didi Gregorius has signed with Algodoneros Union Laguna for the 2023 Liga Mexicana De Beisbol regular season.
Gregorius played in 63 games, batting .210 in 232 plate appearances last season, with 45 hits, 16 doubles, one home run, 19 RBI, and drawing 13 walks with the Philadelphia Phillies before he was released on August 4, 2022.
Gregorius, 33, still has range at the middle infield positions despite suffering a left knee sprain last May. He played in the Liga De Beisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente in Puerto Rico for the 2022-23 winter season with Cangrejeros de Santurce, playing in 16 games and batting .170 in 66 plate appearances with 10 hits, one RBI and four walks during his short stint.
Gregorius played in his second World Baseball Classic with The Netherlands in March, appearing in four games and batting .250, getting three hits, three walks, three RBI, and striking out four times in the tournament.
Gregorius played 10 seasons in Major League Baseball starting with the Cincinnati Reds in 2012, two seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013 to 2014, the New York Yankees from 2015 to 2019, and the Phillies for three season before being let go last year. Gregorius’ lifetime average is .257 with 999 total hits, 134 home runs, and 530 RBI during his time in the Major Leagues.
The Algodoneros de Union Laguna plays in Torreon, Coahuila, Mexico, and last won the LMB championship in 1990. So far, they are 5-4 in 2023 and tied for third place in the Zona Norte.