Astros release struggling former AL MVP Jose Abreu

The Houston Astros released struggling slugger Jose Abreu from their major league roster on Friday.

The former American League MVP is hitting just .124 with two homers and seven RBIs in 35 games this season.

Abreu was demoted to the Astros’ Florida Complex League team on April 30. The three-time All-Star played five games there and two games at Triple-A Sugar Land before returning to Houston’s lineup on May 27.

Abreu, 37, has hit .217 with 20 homers and 97 RBIs in 176 games since signing a three-year, $58.5 million contract with Houston in November 2022. He is owed $19.5 million dollars this season and the same amount in 2025.

Abreu was the AL Rookie of the Year with the Chicago White Sox in 2014 and made All-Star teams with Chicago in 2014, 2018 and 2019.

He was crowned AL MVP during the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign after hitting .317 with 19 homers and 60 RBIs in just 60 games.

Over 11 seasons, Abreu hit .283 in 1,446 games with 263 homers and 960 RBIs for the White Sox (2014-22) and Astros. His 960 RBIs since his 2014 debut are the most in the AL during that span.