Alex Rodriguez Jokes About MLB Return to Race Albert Pujols to 700 Career HRs

Albert Pujols' climb up Major League Baseball's home run leaderboard has Alex Rodriguez thinking about a comeback.

The three-time American League MVP joked on Twitter he might need to put on a jersey again to race Pujols to 700 career homers.

Pujols is currently sitting at 694 homers, two shy of tying Rodriguez for fourth all-time. The St. Louis Cardinals slugger has been on a tear in the second half with a 1.207 OPS and nine dingers in 78 at-bats since the All-Star break.

Rodriguez's last home run came on July 18, 2016. He hit a solo shot off Kevin Gausman in the New York Yankees' 2-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

There are some interesting parallels between Rodriguez and Pujols in the latter's pursuit of history. Both players played 22 MLB seasons—Pujols has said he will retire after this season. They have both won three MVP awards and two Gold Gloves.

Rodriguez's career came to a fairly obscure end. He announced at a press conference in August 2016 that he would play his final game with the Yankees during the regular season, then receive an unconditional release before moving into a role as a special adviser and instructor for the club.

The final appearance of Rodriguez's career was on Aug. 12, 2016, going 1-for-4 with a double in a 6-3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays.

St. Louis still has 31 games remaining on the schedule in the regular season. Pujols has a shot at reaching 700 homers if he keeps up his current pace. Barry Bones (762), Hank Aaron (755) and Babe Ruth (714) are the only players in MLB history who have reached that threshold.