Ex-Astros slugger lands minor-league deal with Mets after being released by Houston

Jon Singleton played first base for the Houston Astros last season. His baseball journey was followed by many fans. His home run bat flips were legendary. Now, Singleton will ply his trade for the New York Mets.
Jon Singleton played first base for the Houston Astros last season. His baseball journey was followed by many fans. His home run bat flips were legendary. Now, Singleton will ply his trade for the New York Mets. | Bob Levey/GettyImages

While Jon Singleton definitely did his best while playing for the Houston Astros, his efforts were not enough to nail down a roster spot out of spring training. Singleton was released by the Astros in late March, but he has found a new home with the New York Mets.

Singleton signed a minor-league contract with the Mets. He will be looked upon as a potential addition at first base. For now, Singleton will play first base at the Mets' Triple-A club in Syracuse.

Singleton had an opportunity last season to make first base his own. There were the majestic homers, along with his patented bat flips, that excited Astros fans. But he could not put a serious imprint on his efforts. Singleton hit .234 with 13 home runs, 42 RBI, and a .707 OPS in 2024.

His spring training .171 batting average didn't impress the Astros' front office much at all. Singleton didn't hit consistently, drive in runs when it mattered, and struck out too much, which ultimately led to his dismissal.

Jon Singleton's journey to finally earn a full-time role with the Astros is one that didn't have a storybook ending

Singleton's story of reaching the majors with Houston, getting sent back down to the minors, and making it back up to the big show is wonderful. Manager Joe Espada gave Singleton a chance to prove himself, but after the Astros went out and signed Christian Walker, to take over at first base, it meant that the former first-rounder would be relegated to a backup role at best.

There's no doubt that Astros fans supported Singleton. They wanted to see him succeed. But his numbers were never good enough. Upon the news of Singleton signing with the Mets, the Astros organization sent out a social media post thanking him. It was a classy move to do by the Astros. Fans will have to watch Singleton hit those homers for the Mets from now on.

Walker has been hitting the ball hard this season so far, but is still looking to pile up RBI, too. The club is willing to give Walker some slack after six games. Singleton didn't get a backup role in Houston. The Big Apple will wait to see what Singleton can do when he, once again, returns from the minor leagues.

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