his poor performance, he was still named to the Southern League midseason All-Star team as the starting third baseman. After the All-Star game, he was promoted to the Triple-A Durham Bulls on July 13, finishing the rest of the season at Durham. Bankston played in 52 games in his first year at the Triple-A level and batted .297 with 5 home runs. Bankston's performance plummeted in , playing the whole season in Triple-A. His .238 batting average was the worst to date in his career and his status as a prospect is not as high as it was before. He was designated for assignment on September 19, 2007, and was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Royals on September 21. The Royals designated him for assignment on November 20, 2007, and was claimed off waivers by the Oakland Athletics. Bankston was designated for assignment on February 8, . He cleared waivers and was outrighted to the minor leagues on February 13, 2008. Bankston made his major league debut on July 2, , with the Athletics against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. His first major league home run came on July 7 against the Seattle Mariners. He was designated for assignment on August 18 and became a free agent at the end of the season. On December 18, he signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds, where he spent the 2009 season in their minor league system. On February 24, 2010, Bankston signed a minor league deal with the Texas Rangers. References External links 1983 births Living people Algodoneros de Guasave players American expatriate baseball players in Mexico Baseball players from Dallas Bridgeport Bluefish players Charleston RiverDogs players Durham Bulls players Frisco RoughRiders players Guerreros de Oaxaca players Hudson Valley Renegades players Louisville Bats players Major League Baseball first basemen Mayos de Navojoa players Mexican League baseball first basemen Montgomery Biscuits players Oakland Athletics players Oklahoma City RedHawks players Phoenix Desert Dogs players Piratas de Campeche players Plano East Senior High School alumni Princeton Devil Rays players Sacramento River Cats players Visalia Oaks players