The Houston Astros have released right-hander J.P. France, ending a four-year run with the only organization he’s ever known as a professional, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic.
France’s path to the majors was never a given. Houston selected him in the 14th round of the 2018 draft out of Mississippi State, where he’d transferred after missing a season at Tulane with an injury. With no leverage as a late-round pick, he signed for just $1,000. His first full minor-league season in 2019 went poorly enough that he seriously considered walking away from the game.
It was his girlfriend at the time, Jessica McCain, who talked him out of it. “She’s like, ‘If you want to quit, just quit. Stop wasting my time, stop wasting your time, we can go back, I can go back to work in Aspen and all that,'” France recalled in an interview with The Athletic. “I said, ‘I don’t quit.'”
That rookie season became the high point of his career. France started 23 games for the Astros in 2023, throwing more than 136 innings with a 3.83 ERA and helping stabilize a rotation that needed him. His role shrank considerably after that, with just five starts in 2024 and strictly bullpen work over the past two seasons.
This year, Houston called France up in April as pitching injuries mounted, with Tatsuya Imai landing on the injured list after the team had already lost Hunter Brown and Cristian Javier. He struggled in three outings, allowing six earned runs over 6⅔ innings and walking more batters than he struck out, and was designated for assignment shortly after. He spent most of the season at Triple-A Sugar Land, where his numbers were considerably better: a 3.72 ERA over 36⅓ innings, almost entirely as a reliever, though his longstanding control issues persisted, with a walk rate near 15%.
France married Jessica, the same girlfriend whose call changed his career path, and the two now have a young son. It took years of waiting and a 14th-round, thousand-dollar contract, but France made it to the majors and carved out a real place in Houston’s rotation, if only for a while.
Heading to Daikin Park soon? Check our complete Astros promotions schedule before your next game.
