Jon Singleton hit .168 in 95 games as a rookie last season and the Astros added several first base/designated hitter/corner outfield options during the offseason, so this isn’t exactly a huge shock: Singleton has been sent back to Triple-A.
As bad as Singleton looked last year--and it was ugly, with 134 strikeouts in 362 trips to the plate--he’s still just 23 years old and ranked as a top-100 prospect by Baseball America in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. He still has plenty of upside as a low-average slugger, but the Astros have hopes of taking a big step forward this season and they’re not as willing to sit through more growing pains from Singleton.
If he crushes Triple-A pitching he’ll be back soon enough.
