Former New York Yankees infielder Didi Gregorius is continuing his pro career in the Mexican League.
Gregorius last played in the MLB in 2022 with the Philadelphia Phillies. However, despite being out of the MLB for years, he has continued his pro career in Mexico. In 2023, he signed with Algodoneros de Unión Laguna before inking a minor-league deal with the Seattle Mariners.
Yet, after opting out of his deal, he played for the Arabia Wolves in Baseball United before returning to Algodoneros de Unión Laguna in 2024 and has been with them since.
However, this season, Gregorius has struggled as he’s played in just 7 games, as he’s batting .250 with 0 home runs and 4 RBIs. Despite being a former MLB player, he’s not dominating the league as some would expect.
Defensively, however, Gregorius has played well as he’s committed just one error and has a .967 fielding percentage.
Gregorious played for the Yankees from 2015 until 2019. New York acquired him in a trade to replace Derek Jeter, who announced his retirement. The veteran had mixed results in New York, and at the end of the 2019 season, the Yankees opted not to issue him a qualifying offer and he signed with the Phillies.
With the Yankees, Gregorious appeared in 660 games, recording .269 with 97 home runs and 360 RBIs.
Yankees Wanted Gregorious to Replace Jeter
As Jeter announced he would be retiring, New York was looking to replace him.
The Yankees pulled off a three-team trade for Gregorious, who is someone Brian Cashman said he wanted for quite some time.
“He’s a young athletic shortstop and his defense is very good,” Cashman said. “He’s struggled against left-handed pitching and we believe he hits right-handed pitching well, so I think at the very least, we open up 2015 with him in a platoon with Brendan Ryan until he separates himself. So, the high end projection is that we think there’s more in the tank there as he continues to develop. We think he’s an exciting talent, but honestly he’s not a finished product.
“He’s someone we targeted not just this winter, but in past seasons, both with the old regime and the new regime. I had to go through another club to get my hands on him. We believe we’re in a better place than we were before we had him.”
Gregorious ended up being the Yankees’ starting shortstop for five years.
Robinson Cano Also Playing in Mexico
Along with Gregorious, Yankees legend Robinson Cano is also continuing his career in Mexico.
Cano, who’s now 43-years-old, is playing for Diablos Rojos del Mexico of the Mexican League. He’s been playing for the team since 2024 and remains one of the team’s top hitters.
Cano is hitting .323 with 7 home runs and 30 RBIs, as his bat is still a key part of his game. He also has an OPS of .949, showing the slug is also there, as he’s one of his team’s top hitters.
The veteran infielder played for the Yankees for nine years before he left to sign a massive $240 million deal with the Seattle Mariners.
Cano is an eight-time All-Star.
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