Astros Outright Jon Singleton

TODAY: Singleton cleared waivers and has been outrighted off Houston’s 40-man roster, the team announced.  It isn’t yet known if Singleton will accept the assignment or elect free agency.

JULY 28: The Astros are designating first baseman Jon Singleton for assignment, according to an announcement from Singleton’s wife Linzy on social media this afternoon. Additional roster maneuvering will be necessary to replace Singleton on the club’s active roster, but it’s not clear what the corresponding transaction will be at this point.

Singleton, 34 in September, was added to the club’s roster last week alongside Shay Whitcomb in the wake of an injury to third baseman Isaac Paredes last week. Singleton ultimately appeared in just three games for the Astros this year, during which he went 1-for-9 with at the plate with one strikeout and no walks. He began the season in the Mets’ minor league system but signed a minor league deal with Houston back in July. Between those two club’s Triple-A affiliates, Singleton has slashed a solid .224/.373/.451 this year with 16 homers in 306 trips to the plate.

The veteran first baseman previously was rostered by the Astros last year as their regular first baseman after the departure of Jose Abreu. Singleton provided a league average bat for the Astros at the position as he slashed .234/.321/.386 with a wRC+ of 104 across 119 games. It was a solid enough performance to earn Singleton consideration for the club’s 2025 roster, but Houston eventually pivoted away from Singleton due to incoming first baseman Christian Walker. With Walker at first base and Yordan Alvarez expected to serve as the club’s everyday DH, there was no path to playing time for Singleton in Houston. Injuries have opened up playing time since then, but the Astros have generally preferred to opt for younger or more versatile options like Taylor Trammell and Cooper Hummel when filling out their roster this year.

Singleton has plenty of history with the Astros organization. A top prospect in the Phillies’s system who was dealt to Houston in a trade for Hunter Pence, Singleton signed a five-year, $10MM extension with the Astros before he even made his MLB debut. The deal was widely viewed as a coup for the Astros at the time, but Singleton struggled upon arriving in the big leagues back in 2014 and slashed just .171/.290/.331 across two seasons in the majors. He did not resurface in the big leagues until the 2023 season and spent time playing both in the minors and for independent leagues during his years away from the majors.

The loss of Singleton leaves them without another lefty bat on the roster. Pending the corresponding move for Singleton’s exit, the Astros only have Trammell (as well as switch-hitters Hummel and backup catcher Victor Caratini) capable of batting from the left side on their roster. As for Singleton, the Astros will have until the trade deadline on July 21 to attempt to work out a trade involving him or else he’ll be passed through waivers. If he clears waivers unclaimed, he’ll have the opportunity to accept an outright assignment from the Astros and remain in their minor league system or test free agency.