Astros release Abreu with $30M left on deal

The Houston Astros released slugging first baseman José Abreu, the team announced Friday.

The former AL MVP and three-time All-Star has more than $30 million remaining on his three-year, $58.5-million contract signed prior to last season.

"We've been talking about it over the last week or so," Astros general manager Dana Brown said, according to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. "Ultimately, Abreu is an outstanding human being, has an outstanding career. We tried different things to get him going, like sending him down. As we talked through the process this week, we felt it was time to make a change."

Brown added: "He (Abreu) was critical as to how he was playing himself. He understood what his struggles were. He struggled a lot and was trying to battle through it. ... It was a difficult thing for him, but (I) thought he handled it well."

Veteran Jon Singleton will likely handle the lion's share of playing time at first base in the wake of Abreu's release. The 32-year-old has a .649 OPS with five home runs and 14 RBIs in 50 games this season.

The Astros called up Cooper Hummel to take Abreu's spot on the 40-man roster. Hummel has seen time at first base and both corner outfield positions at Triple-A this season.

Abreu never found his footing with the Astros. The 37-year-old slumped over parts of two campaigns and agreed to be optioned to Houston's spring training complex in late May after starting the 2024 campaign in a 7-for-71 funk at the plate.

He posted the lowest FanGraphs WAR among all position players with at least 700 plate appearances since the start of 2023.

Abreu finishes his Astros stint slashing .217/.275/.351 with 20 home runs, 25 doubles, and 97 RBIs across 176 games.