Former top prospect Singleton returns to Astros
HOUSTON — Jon Singleton is being called up by the Houston Astros, returning to the team he last played for in 2015.
Singleton told The Associated Press he was heading to Baltimore on Monday to join the team for the opener of a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles, who have the best record in the American League.
The first baseman adds depth at a position where José Abreu is the starter. Abreu has underperformed in the first year of a three-year, $58.5 million contract, hitting just .237 with 10 homers and 56 RBIs.
The left-handed slugger has been playing at Triple-A Sugar Land after signing a minor league deal with the Astros on June 24 following his release from the Brewers. Since joining the Space Cowboys, he has hit .333 with 12 homers, 28 RBIs and a 1.138 OPS.
Singleton was in the Astros organization until before the 2018 season, when he asked for his release after being suspended 100 games after a third positive drug test while playing at Double-A Corpus Christi. He was regarded as one of the top infield prospects while with the Astros organization from 2011 until his release after being acquired in a trade with Philadelphia.
Singleton didn’t play organized baseball from 2017 until 2021, when he restarted his career in the Mexican League. After his release from the Astros, he didn’t plan on playing baseball again.
He discussed that time period this past weekend in Sugar Land before he learned he’d be rejoining the Astros.
“When I did walk away from baseball, I honestly wasn’t thinking about playing baseball anymore at all,” he told the AP. “It wasn’t even a thought. But once I started working out and going to the gym every day and things start to progress, then baseball became a thought again. So things have really come full circle.”
He credited his recent success to his preparation off the field.
“I think my mindset, mentally, my mental state, that’s been huge for me,” he said. “The last five to six weeks, just small things I’m doing to prepare myself and just reminding myself what I need to do every day just to be ready.”
The 31-year-old appeared in 114 games for the Astros in the 2014 and 2015 seasons after signing a five-year, $10 million contract. He last appeared in a major league game for the Astros on Oct. 2, 2015.
He returned to the majors for the first time since that game when he appeared in 11 games with the Brewers before his release.
Outfielder Corey Julks was optioned to Sugar Land on Sunday to make room for Singleton on the roster. The Astros were off Monday and visited the White House where they were honored by President Joe Biden for winning the World Series.
WASHINGTON — Alex Ovechkin scored his 903rd career NHL goal as the Washington Capitals beat the Los Angeles Kings 2-1 on Monday night.
Ovechkin also passed Gordie Howe for the most regular-season goals scored at a single venue in NHL history with his 442nd goal at Capital One Arena.
Matt Roy also scored for the Capitals, who ended a two-game losing skid to gain some traction in the standings.
Anze Kopitar scored for lone goal for the Kings, who had won four straight. It was just their second regulation road loss of the season.
Washington, which has been struggling to finish at 5-on-5, opened the scoring early, as Roy got to the front of the net and tipped Aliaksei Protas‘ point shot past Darcy Kuemper. It was Roy’s first goal in 25 games, dating to last season.
In the second period, Ovechkin crashed the crease and got to the front of the net before burying a behind-the-net feed from Connor McMichael. Ovechkin now has goals in back-to-back games and three of his past four.
Kopitar pulled Los Angeles to within one with his third goal of the season with 6:33 left in the second. He tapped in a backdoor feed from Corey Perry on a power play. Washington has now given up a power-play goal in three straight games and five of the past six.
Despite a rally, the Kings couldn’t beat Charlie Lindgren, who stopped 30 of 31 shots for his second win of the season after losing his previous four starts.
Kuemper stopped 23 of 25 in the defeat.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The Los Angeles Kings have signed winger Adrian Kempe to a new eight-year contract worth $10.625 million annually, the team announced Monday.
The Kings viewed it as a priority to re-sign Kempe, especially as they prepare for captain Anze Kopitar to retire at the end of the season. The sides had been negotiating over the past few months, and Kempe, sources said, took a little less money, indicating his desire to stay in Los Angeles, where he believes he can win a Stanley Cup.
The contract runs through the 2033-34 season. The 29-year-old Kempe, a native of Sweden, has played his entire 10-year career with the Kings after being drafted in the first round in 2014.
Kempe, the Kings’ leading scorer in each of the past two seasons, has six goals and 19 points through 19 games this season.
He was arguably the biggest free agent remaining for the summer of 2026. Connor McDavid, Jack Eichel, Kirill Kaprizov and Martin Necas all re-signed with their respective teams over the past two months.
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