The Astros have reunited with first baseman Jon Singleton on a minor league contract, The Athletic’s Chandler Rome reports. Singleton had been a free agent since the Mets released him from a previous minors deal earlier this week.
This marks the third separate stint for Singleton with the Astros. Initially obtained in a trade with the Phillies back in July 2011, Singleton rose to prominence as a highly-touted prospect in Houston’s farm system, and even signed a five-year extension worth $10MM in guaranteed money before he had even made his MLB debut. However, Singleton didn’t live up to those big expectations, and hit .171/.290/.331 over 420 plate appearances in 2014-15 before disappearing off the big league map for the better part of a decade. He didn’t play at all from 2018-20 as he served a 100-game suspension and battled substance abuse problems, and then played in the Mexican League in 2021 and then back in affiliated ball in the Brewers’ farm system in 2022.
Returning to the Show with Milwaukee in 2023, Singleton was released partway through that season and returned to Houston for the next two years. Singleton ended up receiving quite a bit of playing time at first base in the wake of Jose Abreu’s struggles and eventual release partway through the 2024 campaign, and Singleton hit a respectable .234/.321/.386 with 13 homers over 405 PA in 2024. This offensive production translated to a decent 105 wRC+, but Singleton was still a -0.1 fWAR player overall due to a lack of glovework or baserunning.
Christian Walker’s signing seemingly locked down the Astros’ first base position for the next three years, and Houston released Singleton at the end of Spring Training prior to Singleton landing with the Mets about a week later. Despite an upward mobility clause Singleton triggered in his minors deal in May, New York never called up him to the big leagues, and the Mets eventually decided to part ways entirely with the infielder.
Though Walker hasn’t hit up to expectations, there isn’t much chance Singleton will be stepping back into regular duty at first base. With seven position players currently on the injured list, the Astros are thin on experienced roster depth, so Singleton provides a familiar face and some experience at Triple-A Sugar Land. Singleton is also a left-handed hitter, which could get him a relatively quick call to the Show to help out an Astros lineup that is very heavy in right-handed bats.