Astros Star Switching Positions Has Not Impacted His Ability on Offense

The Houston Astros are fortunate that their All-Star hasn't struggled after a position change

Nick Ziegler | Apr 10, 2025

Apr 5, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Jose Altuve (27) rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. / Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images

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Houston Astros

The Houston Astros are off to a sluggish start to the season and concerns are still surrounding the team after a chaotic winter.

Due to all the changes for the Astros this offseason, there was reason to be concerned about how the team would perform in 2025. So far those concerns have been validated early on.

Houston has been the standard in the American League for the last decade, but it feels like this is a team that is heading into a bit of a retool after some tough decisions they made regarding some of their stars.

However, even though the team traded away Kyle Tucker and let Alex Bregman walk in free agency, there are still some All-Star caliber players in the lineup.

While the offense has gotten off to a slow start, there is still reason to believe that they will turn things around.

Fortunately, one of their stars is off to a hot start this campaign despite switching positions late in the spring.

Brian McTaggart of MLB.com recently spoke about the Astros switching the position of their All-Star slugger, Jose Altuve, but fortunately, it hasn’t had a negative impact on his bat.

“Altuve remains a work in progress in left field, the position he took up this year after playing 1,765 career games at second base, but his offense hasn't suffered.”

It was a bold decision to switch Altuve to left field, but his struggling defense at second base and the team needing some offense in the outfield resulted in the switch.

The All-Star is having a great year so far, slashing .346/.393/.519 with three home runs and six RBI. He is currently leading the team in most major offensive categories, and if not for him, the unit would really be struggling.

Now, Altuve is still very much a work in progress in left field, but his bat in the lineup is making up for that.

If the Astros are going to turn things around after the slow start, having some players step up around their new left fielder will be important.

Even though it was a bold move to switch him to left field, it has allowed them to play Brendan Rodgers at second base, who is performing well.

The offense is certainly under the microscope right now with players like Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Christian Walker, and Isaac Paredes all struggling to begin the year.

However, with Altuve leading the way, there is reason to believe that once some of the other talented hitters get going, Houston might be able to go on a bit of a run.

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