Houston Astros sign former top prospect OF Lewis Brinson to minor league deal

The Houston Astros have signed former Marlins outfielder Lewis Brinson to a minor league deal.

Brinson was formerly a top prospect, ranking No. 16, No. 18 and No. 27 overall by MLB.com in the years preceding his rookie season.

However, Brinson has struggled to hit in his 1,111 big-league plate appearances so far, batting .199 with 25 career home runs in 341 games. Brinson hit .226 with 9 home runs in 89 games in 2021.

He was a first-round pick in 2012 of the Texas Rangers, and was famously part of the trade that brought Christian Yelich to the Milwaukee Brewers in 2018. Brinson has played all three outfield positions, mostly playing in center field.