Catcher J.R. Towles signed a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The deal includes an invitation to Spring Training.
Towles, 27, became a free agent after the World Series as a result of clearing waivers as a member of the Houston Astros this past October and being outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
He hit .184 with three home runs and 11 RBI in 54 games for the Astros last season after departing Spring Training as the starting catcher due to Jason Castro's season-ending knee injury.
Houston optioned him to Oklahoma City on July 6, where he hit .276 with three homers and 11 RBI prior to being recalled on Sept. 1.
Towles, a native of Crosby, Texas, turned heads by evolving into the top prospect in the Astros' minor league system and recording one of the greatest performances in club history on Sept. 20, 2007.
He collected eight RBI to break the previous franchise record of seven in Houston's 18-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium.
Towles connected for his first big league homer that day.
However, he struggled over the next four seasons with the Astros and wasn't able to hold the starting job behind the plate.
Towles is hitting .187 (80-for-428) with 11 home runs, 50 RBI and 22 doubles over 155 games in five career major league seasons.
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