Brewers’ Jon Singleton records hit in first MLB appearance since 2015 after drug abuse suspension

First baseman Jon Singleton recorded a single during his incredible return to the majors with the Milwaukee Brewers Saturday.

Singleton started in his first game back in MLB in eight seasons during the Brewers’ 10–8 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

The 31-year-old, who finished sixth in batting order, was a former Astros top contender but has not been in the majors since 2015 due to off-field drug problems.

The Brewers called up Singleton and outfielder Blake Perkins from Triple-A Nashville on Saturday and placed first baseman Darin Ruf and outfielder Tyrone Taylor on the 10-day injured list. Ruf has a right knee tear and Taylor has a sprained right elbow.

“It’s been a long journey,” Singleton told reporters before the Brewers’ game Saturday with the Cincinnati Reds. “Right now I really can’t even describe my emotions, my feelings. Absolutely grateful.’

The 31-year old Singleton started at first base and singled in his second at bat.

Singleton was such an heralded prospect early in his pro career that he signed a $10 million long-term contract with the Houston Astros in 2014 before ever playing a big league game, but off-field issues hampered his development.

Singleton told reporters that he heard about his promotion from Nashville Sounds manager Rick Sweet on Friday night during the ninth inning of their game.

“When Rick told me I was just stunned, to be honest,” said Singleton. “It was something that came so unexpectedly at the time. It sure was a long time coming.’

Brewers manager Craig Counsell praised Singleton for the work he did to return to the majors after such a long time.

“He’s shown a lot of perseverance in his career,” Counsell said. “The journey of his career has been amazing. It was hard, but he played and kept going. He’s been through some tough times, but he’s figured out ways to get through it, and he’s been rewarded.”

Singleton’s only previous major league experience came when he hit .171 with a .290 on-base percentage, 14 home runs and 50 RBIs in a total of 114 games with the 2014-15 Astros.

The Astros released Singleton in 2018 while he served a 100-game suspension under baseball’s minor league drug program after testing positive for a third drug offence.

He told The Associated Press in 2014 that he was battling an addiction to marijuana and had been in a rehab facility.

But he has since made a remarkable comeback.

“Once I had time to step back and think about what life really was and what it meant to me, maybe it helped to put things in perspective,” Singleton told reporters on Saturday.

The Brewers signed Singleton to a minor league contract in 2021, after batting .321 with 15 homers and a 1,196 OPS in 46 games in the Mexican League earlier that year.

He hit .258 with a .384 on-base percentage, .483 slugging percentage, 10 homers and 29 RBIs in 49 games with Nashville this season. That followed a 2021 campaign in which he hit .219 with a .375 on-base percentage, 24 home runs, 87 RBIs and 117 walks in 134 games with Nashville.

Now he’s back in the big leagues.

“It’s totally worth it,” Singleton told reporters. “There has been a lot of hard work that I put into it. There have been many things I have done emotionally, physically and spiritually to get to this point. Very, very grateful.’