Daniel Murphy is heading back to New York.
The former Mets All-Star, who retired in 2021, signed with the Long Island Ducks of the Independent League, the team announced Wednesday.
“This game is part of my soul, and my passion for playing grew as great as ever when I discovered certain things that I believe will enable me to be productive on the field again,” Murphy said in a release.
Want to see the Long Island Ducks live? Get tickets here.
“I am immensely grateful to [Ducks owner Frank] Boulton, Wally Backman and Michael Pfaff for allowing me to live my dream for a second time.”
The 37-year-old infielder played for the Mets from 2008-09 and 2011-2015, gaining notoriety for his 2015 playoff heroics, in which he homered in six straight games to help the Mets get past the Dodgers in the NL Division Series and then the Cubs in the NL Championship series.
He played 2 1/2 seasons with the Nationals — winning a pair of NL Silver Slugger awards — before finishing out 2018 with the Cubs, and called it a career after spending 2019-20 with the Rockies.
He owns a .296 career batting average with 1,572 hits, 371 doubles, 138 home runs and 735 RBIs in 12 MLB seasons.
Injuries plagued the latter part of his MLB career, though the lefty appears to have something left in the tank.
Now he’s back in New York for a 16th professional season.
“Competing before the New York fans is an enormous privilege, and I hope that my effort and performance reflect how honored I am to do so,” Murphy added. “The sincerest thanks from my family and I to the Long Island Ducks for this chance at a new adventure.”
The Ducks are managed by Backman, the ex-Mets second baseman from the 1986 World Series team.
Murphy will see some familiar faces on Long Island, with his former Mets teammates Ruben Tejada (infielder) and Nelson Figueroa (pitching coach) being members of the Ducks, as well.