Jon Singleton was placed on waivers and went unclaimed.
At one point in time, first baseman Jon Singleton was the top prospect in the Houston Astros system and seemed destined for a long, productive MLB career.
After struggling on-and-off the field over the past few seasons, the Astros removed Singleton from the 40 man roster and designated him for assignment.
He passed through waivers unclaimed and has been sent down to Triple-A.
Singleton is still owed $4.5 million on the contract extension that he signed in 2014.
The Astros 40 man roster now sits at 37, but will rise to 38 once the team officially signs outfielder Josh Reddick following a physical.
The 25-year-old Singleton lost the battle to be Houston’s starting first baseman last spring and spent the season in the PCL where he struggled again.
Back in 2014, things looked incredibly bright for the lefty with a sweet swing. He made his major league baseball debut, hitting .285 with a .335 OBP, 13 home runs and 44 RBIs in 95 games.
He split the 2015 season between AAA and the majors, hitting well enough in AAA to the tune of a .254 batting average with a .359 OBP, 22 home runs and 83 RBIs in 102 games, but things didn’t click upon his promotion back to the bigs. Singleton hit just .191 with a home run and 6 RBIs in 19 games.
He spent all of last season with the Fresno Grizzlies of the PCL and hit just .202 (granted with a .337 OBP), 20 home runs and 66 RBIs in 124 games.
A gifted player, he’s had issues with drugs in the past and seemingly needs to get things together personally if he’s ever going to be able to play at a high level in the major again.
