Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve . Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Astros Make Decision on Jose Altuve’s Availability Against Venezuela

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Matt Postins | Last updated Feb 28, 2026 1:00 PM ET

As part of the ramp-up for the World Baseball Classic, most of the teams participating in pool play are going to play at least one exhibition game against a Major League team in spring training.

For the Houston Astros, they’ll host Team Venezuela on Tuesday. That’s opportune for star Jose Altuve, who is a native of Venezuela but isn’t playing for his home country in this year’s WBC. But it would give him a chance to square off against his countrymen before they start pool play later in the week.

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Well, Altuve will have to watch from the dugout. Per MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, the Astros plan to hold Altuve out of that game. The plan could change, of course. But, for now, Tuesday’s lineup won’t include the 35-year-old veteran.

Jose Altuve Heading into 2026

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Astros have a plan to ramp Altuve up for the regular season and it’s clear they’re not allowing any ties to Venezuela or the WBC to impact it.

Altuve played for his home country in the 2023 WBC, but he suffered an injury that caused him to miss much of the first half of that season. Houston went on to reach the American League Championship series, where they lost to the Texas Rangers, who went on to win the World Series.

Houston has also made it clear that Altuve will play most of his games at second base this season. The experimentation with left wasn’t a complete disaster. But, even with a crowded infield, Altuve is the franchise’s best option at second base. With Joey Loperfido back with the organization, there’s a good chance he’ll be logging time there, along with Yordan Alvarez when he’s not at designated hitter.

Altuve enters his age 36 season with a career slash of .303/.360/.466 with 255 home runs and 889 RBI. He is a former American League MVP, a nine-time All-Star, two-time World Series champion, an AL Gold Glove winner, a seven-time AL Silver Slugger and a three-time AL batting champion. He is under contract through 2029.

Team Venezuela’s roster includes pitchers Luinder Avila, Eduard Bazardo, José Buttó, Enmanuel De Jesus, Jhonathan Díaz, Carlos Guzman, Yoendrys Gómez, Andrés Machado, Anthony Molina, Keider Montero, Daniel Palencia, Eduardo Rodriguez, Antonio Senzatela, Christian Suarez, Ranger Suárez, Ricardo Sánchez and Angel Zerpa; catchers William Contreras and Salvador Perez; infielders Luis Arraez, Willson Contreras, Maikel Garcia, Andrés Giménez, Eugenio Suárez, Gleyber Torres and Ezequiel Tovar; and outfielders Wilyer Abreu, Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio and Javier Sanoja.

This article first appeared on Houston Astros on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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