Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve had been talked about as a candidate to play left area in 2025. That place change is about to occur.
Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reported that supervisor Joe Espada mentioned Altuve will play the vast majority of his video games in left. Espada additional mentioned that they don’t need to shuttle Altuve between second and left, indicating that he will likely be an outfielder, at the least for this season.
Outfield had been the weakest hyperlink for the Astros. Outfielder Kyle Tucker had been traded to the Cubs, leaving a sequence of query marks in his wake. Left area was large open, with Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick atop the depth chart in middle and proper respectively.
Yordan Alvarez, who spent 53 video games in left in 2024, will nearly solely be used as a delegated hitter in the course of the upcoming season.
Transferring Altuve to the outfield comes with dangers. He had by no means performed within the outfield at any stage as an expert until Friday. Altuve solely has a complete of six innings at any place other than second base within the majors, all of that are at shortstop. Though he had been figuring out in left in the course of the offseason, there’s a distinct distinction between shagging fly balls and a recreation state of affairs.
In idea, this transfer will enhance the Astros protection. Utility man Mauricio Dubon has saved 12 runs at second in nearly a 12 months’s price of motion throughout his profession. Altuve, whereas a former Gold Glove winner, had declined defensively at second, having cost the Astros four runs on the keystone over the previous three years.
There’s one main drawback with this plan — can Altuve turn into a reliable defensive outfielder? He’ll flip 35 this season as he learns a brand new place. Whereas the Astros have a number of weeks left to make that dedication, they’re playing that this transfer will work out.
