Astros Infielder Cracks Top 10 in Latest MLB Second Basemen Rankings

The Houston Astros are known to have a crowded infield heading into spring training this year. As rare as it is to say, there might be too much depth around the diamond.

However, one thing regarding the infield has been made clear—Jose Altuve will find his way back to second base this spring, where he will primarily stay. After shaking things up last year by having the 35-year-old play in left field, it became evident that he was best suited at second.

Once skipper Joe Espada announced his plans for Altuve, relief came over fans. Altuve has spent much of his professional baseball career in the infield, and he's been quite successful there. Although the spring training hasn't kicked off yet, he has already been ranked among the Top 10 starting second basemen in the Major Leagues.

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Altuve Finds His Way Home to Second

Houston Astros Jose Altuve swinging a baseball bat — Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Joel Reuter released his latest MLB rankings earlier today, this time focusing on the starting second basemen for each franchise, and based his rankings on expectations for this year and their previous performances on offense and defense.

Altuve just barely cracked the Top 10, landing at No. 9, edging out Brandon Lowe of the Pittsburgh Pirates at No. 10. During his 2025 campaign, Altuve slashed .265/.329/.442 with a .771 OPS and 26 homers through 155 games. Compared to his 2022 performance—the second year the Astros won the World Series—this is quite a change. By the end of his campaign that year, he had slashed .300/.387/.533 with a .921 OPS and 28 home runs through 141 games.

As Reuter noted, "That WAR [0.5] figure is a bit deceiving for Altuve, as the failed left field experiment (-10 DRS, -5 OAA) was an anchor on his overall value, but there were signs of aging on the offensive side as well..."

While Altuve certainly didn't play as well as fans know he's capable of, it should be taken into account that shifting positions can disrupt a player's flow and concentration. Given that Altuve had spent time in left field, it doesn't come as a major surprise that he saw a drop in his offensive production.

But now that he's returning to second, expectations are quite high for him. He'll be back in a familiar position, so many are expecting him to start thriving at the plate. Will Altuve bounce back this season, or is he simply heading toward a downward spiral?