Houston Astros GM Gives Emphatic Statement About Their First Base Situation

It seems like the Houston Astros know what they're going to do at first base moving forward.

May 21, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros first baseman Jon Singleton (28) hits a two-run home run during the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Minute Maid Park. / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Prior to the 2023 season, the Houston Astros made a splash when they handed out their largest contract to a free agent in their franchise's history to land Jose Abreu.

The 2020 American League MVP winner came to the defending champions on a three-year, $58.5 million contract that was predicted to make the Astros even more formidable than they already were.

However, things haven't quite worked out that way for both parties.

Abreu posted his career-lows across all major offensive metrics last season and performed so poorly at the start of this year that he was sent to Houston's complex in Florida away from the team so he could work on his swing.

In the meantime, the Astros' former flop, Jon Singleton, has stepped up in a huge way and seems to have a stranglehold on first base for the foreseeable future.

General manager Dana Brown certainly seems to think that's the case, telling SportsTalk 790, "That's a Joe Espada question but I'd say right now Jon Singleton is our first baseman."

It's hard to argue with that.

The 32-year-old has slashed .221/.326/.372 with five homers and 14 RBI across his 37 games, but his role has expanded more since Abreu was removed from the roster and he's taken full advantage of that.

Over his last seven games, Singleton is slashing .250/.379/.375 with a monster, clutch home run and four RBI.

Houston doesn't necessarily need major production from their first base position.

With Kyle Tucker playing at an MVP level, Yordan Alvarez still slugging, Jose Altuve having a great start, Jeremy Pena looking like a different hitter, and Alex Bregman slowly starting to come out of his slump, all Singleton has to do is provide solid at-bats throughout the game.

This was something Abreu couldn't do earlier in the season and something the journeyman first baseman has been able to do when called upon.

All signs point to the former MVP rejoining the team at some point in the coming weeks, but that should not mean Singleton plays less after he has given the Astros a huge boost during this time period.