Can Astros Superstar Keep Hitting Enough To Overcome Defensive Shortcomings?

The Houston Astros have quite a predicament on their hands regarding Jose Altuve.

Apr 3, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Houston Astros outfielder Jose Altuve (27) has a laugh during batting practice before a game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. | Nick Wosika-Imagn Images

The Houston Astros made a major change to their defensive alignment this offseason when it was announced that Jose Altuve would no longer be playing second base.

At first, it was an idea thrown around as a contingency plan had the team been able to re-sign third baseman Alex Bregman. With Isaac Paredes in the fold from the Kyle Tucker trade with the Chicago Cubs, someone was going to have to move positions.

Putting Altuve in left field, Bregman at second base and Paredes at the hot corner was certainly one option.

However, there was no need for the plan to be enacted because Bregman opted to sign a three-year, $120 million deal with the Boston Red Sox in free agency.

Despite him moving on, the Astros decided to move forward with their plan of deploying Altuve in left field.

To the surprise of no one, it has been a difficult adjustment for the 34-year-old.

During Grapefruit League games in spring training, he was misplaying fly balls and making routine plays look difficult. Navigating the outfield at Daikin Park, with the Crawford Boxes in left, will take some time.

It will be interesting to see how his outfield development is handled by manager Joe Espada. He has already removed Altuve for defensive purposes once, which could be a recurring theme as the season moves along.

Therein lies the conundrum that the coaching staff has to figure out. Because when they remove Altuve from the game defensively, they are taking arguably their best hitter out of the lineup as well.

While his defense has been underwhelming, he remains a prolific hitter at the plate. Through seven games and 30 plate appearances, he has a .321/.367/.429 slash line with one home run.

Being without Bregman and Tucker puts even more of a need on his hitting prowess atop the lineup.

In some situations, he could be moved back to second base late in games to keep his bat in the lineup with a better defensive player taking over in left field. However, part of the reason he was moved to the outfield in the first place was his waning range and ability with the glove at the keystone.

This will be something worth keeping an eye on, as some incredibly difficult late-game decisions are going to have to be made by Espada throughout the summer. The team cannot afford to be without his bat in the lineup, but counting on him defensively late in close games is a massive risk as well.

Altuve is going to need to continue producing at this rate at the plate to justify being in the lineup as the left fielder, as his defense leaves a lot to be desired.