The St. Louis Cardinals made their fans very happy when they re-signed longtime first baseman Albert Pujols to a free agent contract. Pujols, who announced that this year will be his last, will finish his illustrious career at the place where it began. Not only that, but the Cardinals have big plans for Pujols on Opening Day against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Katie Woo of The Athletic has the latest on Pujols.
Oli Marmol confirms: Albert Pujols will be in the #STLCards Opening Day lineup.
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) April 4, 2022
Per Woo, the Cardinals are planning on having Pujols in the Opening Day lineup. With talented first baseman Paul Goldschmidt entrenched at Pujols' old position, it's likely that the Cardinals insert the 42-year-old into the batting order at the designated hitter spot, which was recently introduced to the National League for the first time.
Article Continues BelowThe veteran first baseman appeared in 109 games between the Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers, batting .236 with 17 homers, 50 RBI and 29 runs scored.
Gone are the days of old in St. Louis, when Pujols was mashing 40 homers per year while batting above .300. However, the longtime Cardinals star can still provide a veteran presence in the clubhouse to a team with championship aspirations following their playoff berth this past year.
Just like every other club, St. Louis' mission will start on Opening Day. That mission will also begin with Albert Pujols in the starting lineup.