The Houston Astros are testing an interesting new strategy in their defensive alignment. If you’ve been watching spring training, you’ve probably noticed something that still doesn’t feel quite real—José Altuve patrolling left field.
Manager Joe Espada confirmed with MLB.com that Altuve will be the Astros’ Opening Day left fielder. This is the first time in his big-league career that he’ll start anywhere other than second base. If that doesn’t make you do a double take, I don’t know what will.
A Rocky Transition to the Outfield
This move has been brewing for a while. Throughout camp, Altuve has seen most of his action in left field, logging 10 starts there versus just one at second base.
Unfortunately, it hasn’t been the smoothest transition. Altuve’s outfield experiment hasn’t been without it’s challenges. He’s struggled with routine fly balls and has committed three errors while recording just 13 putouts. In the last two games alone, he has a couple of dropped fly balls and rushed throws home that led to costly mistakes.
Altuve is embracing the challenge though. “I promise I’m going to keep working hard and be a great left fielder,” he told reporters. That’s the kind of determination you expect from a guy of his caliber. If anyone can figure this out, it’s probably Altuve.
Yordan Alvarez Is a Factor
Part of the reason why the Astros made this move has to do with Yordan Alvarez. The Astros want to keep his bat in the lineup as much as possible while minimizing the wear and tear that comes with playing the outfield.
That means more DH days for Alvarez, leaving second base duties primarily to Mauricio Dubón. However, it also creates a ripple effect in the outfield picture, especially with prospect Cam Smith forcing his way into the conversation.
Cam Smith Could Take Over the Astros Outfield
Smith is the 22-year-old slugger acquired in the Kyle Tucker trade. He has been on a tear this spring with four homers, a .419 average, and an OPS that’s almost at 1.400.
He’s been primarily a third baseman, but with Isaac Paredes locked in there, the Astros have started giving him reps in right field to see if there’s another path to the big leagues for him. And if Smith keeps mashing like this, it will be hard to keep him out of the lineup.
So where does that leave Chas McCormick? The projected right fielder had a down year in 2024. If Smith keeps this level of production up, there’s a real possibility he could eat into McCormick’s playing time.
With Altuve still in the learning phase over in left, it wouldn’t be too surprising to see some lineup shuffling throughout the season.
Astros Outfield in Flux
This Astros outfield situation is as fluid as it gets. With Altuve in left, Smith making a push, and McCormick trying to bounce back—it’s going to be fascinating to see how it all shakes out.
