Albert Pujols hired as special assistant to MLB commissioner

Albert Pujols was hired Monday by Major League Baseball as a special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred.

The retired slugger will consult on issues related to his native Dominican Republic, among other areas. He also will start work Tuesday as an MLB Network analyst.

“Albert is a highly respected figure who represents the game extraordinarily well,” Manfred said in a statement. “He cares greatly about making a difference in our communities.”

Pujols hit 703 home runs, fourth all-time behind Barry Bonds (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714), and his 2,218 RBIs are second to Aaron’s 2,297. Pujols hit .296 in an MLB career spanning from 2001-22 with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Los Angeles Angels and the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his 3,384 hits are among the top 10.

The news comes one day after Pujols’ television broadcasting debut.

He is among several former players working for MLB. Joe Torre and CC Sabathia are special assistants, and Cal Ripken Jr. and Ken Griffey Jr. are senior advisers.

MLB’s staff includes senior vice president for on-field operations Raul Ibañez, senior vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion Billy Bean, vice president for on-field strategy Joe Martinez and baseball operations staff Gregor Blanco, Rajai Davis, Adam Jones, Dan Otero and Bo Porter.

Reporting by The Associated Press.