The Houston Astros were desperate to find outfielders.
Franchise icon Jose Altuve was moved from second base during the offseason, seeing time in left as the Astros looked to find production from their outfield. Brian McTaggart from MLB.com reported that Altuve will be the Astros’ Opening Day left fielder, just the second time Altuve would not start at second since Houston moved to the American League.
However, that does not mean that he will remain in left. Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported that while manager Joe Espada said Altuve will play “most of his games” in left, his role could change. Injuries, performance and strong showings in the minors could move Altuve back to the keystone. He is not the only player the Astros are looking at the outfield; third base prospect Cam Smith has also gotten time in right in an attempt to find production.
After trading Kyle Tucker to the Cubs, the Astros have several holes in the outfield. Jake Meyers and Chas McCormick are atop the depth chart in center and right, respectively. Neither player has done much with the bat. Meyers is an excellent defensive outfielder but has a career .228/.292/.371 batting line with 30 homers and 50 doubles in 1,177 plate appearances. McCormick had been a productive option in the lineup before last season. His offense cratered in 2024 as he posted a .211/.271/.306 batting line in his 267 plate appearances, hitting five homers and six doubles.
Altuve has not displayed any signs of slowing down. The Astros’ sparkplug produced a .295/.350/.439 batting line in 682 plate appearances, hitting 20 homers and 31 doubles while stealing 22 bases. He will continue to bat atop the Astros lineup regardless of his spot on defense. Depending on how Houston’s other players perform, that spot could be back at second base.
