St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols has filed for divorce from his wife just before Opening Day, and days after it was announced she got surgery for a brain tumor.
It should be noted that the Pujols family likely came to this decision long before her surgery, and by no means does it suggest that Albert will not be there for her.
Pujols took to social media on Monday afternoon to reveal that he and his wife of 22 years, Deidre Pujols, were getting divorced.
Statement from Dan Lozano of MVP Sports Group on behalf of Albert Pujols: pic.twitter.com/s8p5Tpop2A
— Robert Murray (@ByRobertMurray) April 4, 2022
Albert is set to be in the Cardinals’ Opening Day lineup to mark his return to St. Louis on Thursday, and it sounds as though he’ll be doing so with a heavy heart.
Cardinals: Albert Pujols, wife Deidre get divorced
Pujols does understand the gravity of the situation, and as he states in his statement, this was not a decision he came to in a matter of days or weeks. Nor does he want it to serve as a distraction for Cardinals fans on Opening Day.
Pujols will bat as the designated hitter for the Cardinals against the Pittsburgh Pirates, as he is set to do so regularly against left-handed pitching. It lined up perfectly with St. Louis’ Opening Day opponent.
In the meantime, our thoughts go out to the Pujols family in what’s surely a challenging time.