Albert Pujols allowed Cardinals to return while his wife had brain surgery

PHOENIX – Albert Pujols got a good punch and then good news about his wife’s health.

Minutes after the 42-year-old played the first single from his second act with the St. Louis Cardinals, he received a text message telling him Deidre Pujols’ brain surgery was a success.

Deidre Pujols posted on social media late Tuesday that she is preparing for surgery to remove a brain tumor discovered in October. Her husband signed with St. Louis earlier this week and arrived at camp Monday knowing Deidre was preparing for what doctors told them to be a relatively routine surgery.

“But every time you open your scalp and your head, you always worry,” he said. “You trust the doctor to have that wisdom and that gift. As much as we rock in the cage, they operate.”

Pujols notes that Deidre’s mother and family were there to support her and has no plans to leave camp early and return to California to be with his wife. He can visit them on the days off between the end of camp and the start of the season.

“Despite the expected pain, the operation went well. 99% of the tumor was removed,” Deidre wrote on Instagram. “The journey of recovery begins…Thank you again for all the prayers and well wishes at this very challenging time. “

The Cardinals and Pujols agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract that gave him a chance to finish his career where it began. After a decade in Los Angeles, he’s returning to St. Louis with 679 career home runs.

Pujols hit .236 with 17 homers last season while sharing time with the Angels and Dodgers. But the right-hander turned back the clock against left-handers in 2021, finishing with a .294 mark and 13 homers in just 136 at-bats.