What to Make of Jose Altuve’s Move to Left Field?

Back in January, long-time Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve was rumored to be considering a position change as the organization continued their offseason contract negotiations with Alex Bregman.

Flash forward to spring training, and a reunion with Bregman obviously never came to fruition. Yet, it still appears as if a move off of second base is likely for Altuve in 2025.

Earlier this week, manager Joe Espada told the Houston Chronicle that the plan is for Altuve to spend the majority of his playing time in left field in 2025, and that shuffling their star back and forth between second base and left field is “something that I am going to avoid.”

To some, this may come as a bit of a surprise. Since making his MLB debut back in 2011, Altuve has played all but two of his 1,767 games at second base. Moreover, of his 15,225.1 innings played, only six have been at a position other than second.

A position change at this stage of his career may feel somewhat abrupt for the nine-time All-Star second baseman. However, it does make some sense given the current state of the Astros’ roster.

So, what’s to make of Altuve’s move to left field? Let’s look at why the Astros plan on making the transition, what the contingency plan will be at second base, and what this all means for the outlook of the Astros in 2025.

Why Is Altuve Moving to Left Field?

There are several factors playing into the decision to move Altuve from his long-time home at second base.

For starters, Altuve isn’t the defender he once was as he enters his age-35 season. While he’s clearly known for his career .831 OPS and not his defensive ability, his production in the field has sharply declined in recent seasons.

What’s more, given Houston’s current roster construction, the Astros need all the help they can get in the outfield.

Kyle Tucker is now a member of the Chicago Cubs following an offseason trade, and Espada is reportedly looking to reduce Yordan Alvarez’s playing time in the outfield moving forward.

Obviously subtracting those two names from the outfield equation creates a bit of a hole, and the Astros are looking to fill it best they can.

A Sharp Decline On Defense

Altuve has never been considered a tremendous defender by any stretch. More of a league average defender for the vast majority of his career, Altuve’s performance in the field has deteriorated noticeably in recent seasons.

This is particularly evident when looking at Altuve’s Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) by year. The table below highlights his DRS per season dating back to his rookie year in 2011.

Altuve only has one full season under his belt with a positive DRS (2018), but his defensive metrics have hovered around average for most of his career. That is until 2022, when his numbers fell off the table.

Altuve had the same number of total DRS, -41, in his three most recent seasons from 2022-’24 as he did in his first 11 seasons combined from 2011-’21. Needless to say that’s not ideal.

Moreover, while it’s not as extreme of a trend, it’s a similar story with Altuve’s Outs Above Average (OAA). According to Baseball Savant, he recorded 2 OAA in 2021 and 1 OAA in 2022. That number dropped to -3 in 2023 which then reached a career-low mark of -9 this past season.

While it’s been made clear that Altuve hasn’t made a living thanks to his glove, the drop-off in his defensive numbers is too significant to ignore.

With that said, it’s his bat that has put him on a Hall of Fame track to Cooperstown. Even at this stage of his career, he’s managed to put up great numbers year in and year out.

He’s still a tremendously valuable hitter for Houston, and the move to left field should help them address the biggest area of weakness on their roster.

Houston’s Uninspiring Outfield Situation

As it currently stands, the Astros’ top outfield options heading into Opening Day include Ben Gamel, Jake Meyers, and Chas McCormick.

Mauricio Dubón has received plenty of run in the outfield as well, but he could be in line for the starting job at second base if Altuve moves to left field. But I’ll get more into that momentarily.

As you can see, Houston’s outfield situation is a bit bleak at the moment.

McCormick has been a solid outfield option for them in recent years, but injuries derailed his 2024 campaign.

From 2021-’23, McCormick had a respectable slash line of .259/.336/.449 for a .786 OPS (117 OPS+) to go with 50 homers and 41 doubles across those three seasons.

However, in 267 plate appearances last season, McCormick hit just .211 with a .576 OPS and a wRC+ of 66. His ISO plummeted from .216 in 2023 to .096 in 2024 as well. Which version of McCormick will the Astros get this season? It’s yet to be seen, but he’ll be Houston’s starting right fielder to open the year.

RosterResource has Jake Meyers holding down center field, and that makes sense given his incredible defensive ability. Last season, Meyers recorded 14 OAA, which was a career high and in the 97th percentile of MLB. However, his impact at the plate is minimal.

In 361 career games, Meyers is slashing .228/.292/.371 for a .662 OPS and an 87 wRC+. Don’t get me wrong, the value he brings with his glove is valuable for the Astros, but he isn’t one to be relied upon offensively.

That leaves Gamel, who has been a bit of a journeyman in the big leagues, playing for eight different ball clubs throughout his nine-year career.

Gamel found some success with the Astros late last season, putting up a .739 OPS and a 117 wRC+ in 69 plate appearances. However, he’s not a player the Astros should rely upon as a regular starter if they have true playoff aspirations for 2025.

Point being, given their list of internal options, moving Altuve to the outfield makes a lot of sense for Houston. It minimizes the potential workload for some of their uninspiring outfield options, and they have a couple of candidates who can slide in at second base and provide some value as well.

What’s the Contingency Plan at Second Base?

The top candidates to fill Altuve’s role at second base to open the year are Dubón and the newly-added Brendan Rodgers.

The former has been a valuable utility piece for the Astros since coming over via trade in May of 2022, while the latter is looking for a fresh start after spending six years in Colorado.

Mauricio Dubón

Though he’s a below-average bat, Dubón has made a living with his glove — specifically in his two most recent seasons with the Astros. He’s played every position in the field outside of catcher, and he even won a Gold Glove Award as a utility player back in 2023.

Interestingly enough, Dubón has been most successful at second base defensively. He has 12 DRS at second in his career, which is double the number of his next-best position (center field). In 2024, he ended the year with 10 OAA as a whole (95th percentile), including 2 OAA at second base.

Put him in a full-time role at second base, and he could be one of the better defenders at the position and provide a significant boost in defensive value for Houston.

Brendan Rodgers

Rodgers is also a candidate to receive playing time at second base, but because he signed a minor league deal with an invite to camp he will need to get added to the 40-man roster.

Back in 2022, Rodgers won a Gold Glove at second base after racking up 22 DRS at the position. He hasn’t been able to return to being that level of a defender, however, as Rodgers has posted a negative DRS in four of his five most recent seasons.

Still, clearly he’s capable of being a high-caliber defender, and he showed some intrigue offensively at times with the Rockies. He’s a player worth taking a shot on if you’re the Astros.

If the Astros do indeed move Altuve off of second base, rolling with Rodgers as his replacement while letting Dubón function as a utility piece could be the most likely outcome on Opening Day.

What Does This Mean for the Astros in 2025?

Despite losing two foundational pieces of their roster in Bregman and Tucker, the Astros are still expected to be competitive in 2025. In fact, according to BetMGM, they’re the odds-on favorite to win the AL West.

While it will be bizarre to see Altuve playing anywhere but second base, it’s a position change that makes sense for the Astros and can help them return to the postseason in 2025.

For all the reasons mentioned, it likely makes them an overall better team while also giving Alvarez more time as the team’s designated hitter, thus preserving his health. Maximizing Alvarez’s playing time is priority No. 1 for Houston, and this helps them accomplish that.

How Altuve adjusts to his new position will obviously be a big factor to consider as well. A seamless transition to left field makes the decision a lot easier to digest, but if he struggles mightily then it could quickly put an end to the experiment.

But for the time being, it creates much more lineup flexibility for Espada, which is something he’ll likely need to lean into with this revamped Astros lineup.