Houston Astros fans, it wasn’t too long ago that pitcher J.P. France was a member of the Astros organization.
Well, following his release from the organization at the end of July, France had no issues latching on with another MLB club right after the trade deadline.
His time was very short-lived with his new MLB club, as he’s officially been released from his second MLB organization this season.
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J.P. France Released by San Diego Padres
Looking at J.P. France’s MLB transactions tracker, he signed a minor-league deal with the San Diego Padres in early August.
On September 7, MiLB.com wrote: “El Paso Chihuahuas released RHP J.P. France.”
It’s unclear if France will be able to find a new club this season after his struggles in the minors, but it’s important to note the release officially makes him a free agent.
France, 31, has appeared in parts of four MLB seasons (all with the Houston Astros).
His brief stint with the Padres didn’t go so great, as he allowed 14 runs (10 earned) in 10.2 IP.
Injuries have played a big factor in his professional career to this point, and after a promising 2023 season where he made 23 starts, he’s been unable to log more than five appearances in the bigs (in a single season) since.
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Taking a Quick Look at J.P. France’s Career with the Astros
The Houston Astros drafted JP France in the 14th round of the 2018 MLB draft, and he had spent his entire MLB career with the organization up until his release this summer.
He’s logged a total of 172.1 IP in his MLB career and carries an ERA of 4.49 in that sample size, but again, injuries piled up, which led to France starting to lose some of his ‘stuff’
During his rookie campaign (2023), France posted an ERA of 3.83 across 136+ innings.
However, he’s only been able to pitch in roughly 35 frames since that season.
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