Could Former Houston Astros Top Prospect Get Call-Up Soon?

The Houston Astros are still looking for left-handed offense and a player that was once an Astro of the future could get the call.
Could Former Houston Astros Top Prospect Get Call-Up Soon?
Could Former Houston Astros Top Prospect Get Call-Up Soon? /
In this story:

Remember how the Houston Astros were hoping to add a left-handed bat at the trade deadline but couldn’t pull off a deal?

Well, the Astros may have an answer for that down at Triple-A Sugar Land in the person of one of its former top prospects, Jon Singleton.

Seriously? Singleton?

Yep, according to Astros general manager Dana Brown, who told reporters on Sunday in New York that a promotion is under consideration.

“We’ve had conversations and we’re thinking about it,” Brown said. “I don’t know how close we are, but I’ve had conversations about it and we’ll see where it goes from there. We’ve definitely had some conversations.”

On Monday, the Associated Press reported that Singleton had been called up to join the Astros for Tuesday's game in Baltimore. 

On spec, Singleton, a left-handed hitting first baseman, checks all the boxes. With Sugar Land he’s slashed .339/.455/.704/1.159 with 12 home runs and 28 RBI in just 32 games since he returned to the Astros’ system.

If Singleton earned a call-up with the Astros, it would be an incredible story for the former No. 1 prospect in the Astros’ system.

An eighth-round pick for Philadelphia in 2009, he was one of the players the Astros got in return for Hunter Pence in trade in 2011. The Astros liked Singleton so much they signed him to a $10 million contract before he even played a game for the Astros.

Singleton eventually got to the Astros, but he also tested positive for marijuana three different times, the last of which in 2018 earned him a 100-game suspension.

He played 114 games for Houston between 2014-15 and slashed .171/.290/.331/.621 with 14 home runs and 52 RBI.

Singleton’s career took him to Mexico in 2020 and back to minor league baseball in 2021 with the Milwaukee Brewers. There, Singleton built his career back up and eventually earned a promotion to the Brewers earlier this season, where he played in 11 games and slashed .103/.188/.138/.325.

But the Brewers released him, and the Astros took a flier on him and signed him to Sugar Land on June 24.

Soon, the Astros may call Singleton home.

More From SI's Inside The Astros:


Published
Matthew Postins
MATTHEW POSTINS

Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers the Texas Rangers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Houston Astros for Sports Illustrated/FanNation. He also covers he Big 12 for Heartland College Sports.