Mets give beleaguered Bautista another chance

For six seasons, Jose Bautista was the best power hitter in baseball. From 2010 through 2015, he slammed 227 home runs for the Toronto Blue Jays. Nobody else in the majors had 200.

That is not the version of Bautista that signed with the New York Mets on Tuesday, two days after being released by the Atlanta Braves. This Bautista, who arrived at Citi Field about a half-hour before game time, started in left field and batted fifth, is 37 years old and brought with him a .199 average since the start of last season, with 182 strikeouts.

However, the former home run champ and six-time AllStar lived up to his nickname of Joey Bats, doubling his first time up and scoring the Mets’ only run in a 5-1 loss to the Miami Marlins. Later, he struck out twice against Caleb Smith, who leads all rookies in the majors with 65 strikeouts. ASTROS FINALLY GIVE UP ON SINGLETON >> The Astros released former top prospect Jon Singleton, who was serving a 100game suspension under baseball’s minor league drug program after a third positive test for a drug of abuse.

The 26-year-old first baseman played 114 games for Houston in 2014-15, hitting .171 with 14 homers. Singleton spent all of last season with Double-A Corpus Christi, batting .205 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs.

Months before he reached the majors during spring training in 2014, he discussed his battle with marijuana addiction and alcohol abuse. Still, the Astros signed him to a $10 million, five-year contract. MARINERS’ GORDON JOINS DL >> The Mariners’ Dee Gordon is on the disabled list, just after taking over for suspended AllStar at second baseman Robinson Cano. Manager Scott Servais said that Gordon hurt his right big toe on May 9 in Toronto and reinjured it Sunday.