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Astros Facing Jose Altuve Decision After News on Thursday

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin M. Groe | Last updated Jul 10, 2025 8:48 PM ET

Veteran second baseman Jose Altuve is playing in his 15th major-league season with the Houston Astros.

The 35-year-old has compiled an extraordinary résumé since making his big-league debut in 2011, firmly establishing himself as one of baseball’s brightest and most consistent stars over the past decade and a half.

He captured the American League MVP Award in 2017 and has earned nine All-Star selections and seven Silver Slugger Awards over his career.

Beyond regular-season accolades, Altuve’s postseason success has been equally impressive. In 105 games over nine separate playoff appearances, he has posted a .271 batting average with 118 hits, 27 home runs and 56 RBIs. He capped two of those runs—2017 and 2022—with World Series championships, playing an important role in Houston’s title runs.

As spring training opened ahead of the 2025 season, the Astros transitioned Altuve from second base to left field after his defensive metrics dipped in recent seasons. The move was designed to play a more athletic defender in the infield while allowing slugger Yordan Alvarez to assume full-time duties as the team’s designated hitter.

On Thursday, Houston promoted their No. 1 prospect, Brice Matthews, to the active roster for Friday’s series opener against the Texas Rangers.

Source: The Astros are calling up No. 1 prospect Brice Matthews to join the team Friday, MLB. com has learned. Matthews is slashing .283/.400/.476 with 10 homers, 39 RBIs and 25 steals at Triple-A, while playing mostly 2B. Matthews was set to play in Futures Game.
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) July 10, 2025

Matthews, a second baseman throughout his minor-league career, forces the organization to reconsider Altuve’s long-term alignment on the field.

With Alvarez still on the injured list with a right-hand injury suffered in early May, Altuve has recently alternated between second base and DH duties over the past few weeks. Now, with Matthews joining the roster, Houston must determine whether to shift Altuve back to left field to accommodate the rookie or maintain his current role as the primary second baseman.

Regardless of where he lines up defensively, Altuve has continued to deliver at the plate. Through 90 games in 2025, he is hitting .272 with a .787 OPS, has launched 16 home runs and driven in 51 runs.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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