Didi Gregorius signs minor league deal with Mariners

The Seattle Mariners signed longtime shortstop Didi Gregorius to a minor league deal on Thursday.

Gregorius, who has 999 major league hits, has been playing -- and tearing up the baseball -- with Algodoneros de Union Laguna in the Mexican League.

Gregorius, 33, last played for the Philadelphia Phillies in 2022 before he was released on Aug. 4 -- one hit shy of 1,000. He batted .210 with one homer and 19 RBIs in 63 games last season.

However, he's hitting .359/.431/.777 through 26 games this season in Mexico.

Gregorius is a career .257 hitter with 134 home runs and 530 RBIs in 1,077 games with the Cincinnati Reds (2012), Arizona Diamondbacks (2013-14), New York Yankees (2015-19) and Phillies.

Gregorius replaced Derek Jeter as the Yankees' full-time shortstop when Jeter retired after the 2014 season.