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Astros Predicted To Play Musical Chairs With Defensive Alignment Next Year

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Kenneth Teape | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 8:00 PM ET

The Houston Astros have a lot to play for still during the 2025 MLB season, but there are already some people taking a look ahead to what the future holds for the franchise.

Over at Bleacher Report, Joel Reuter has taken a crack at predicting each team’s starting lineup for Opening Day in 2026. The Astros, in his opinion, aren’t going to be making any major changes with the roster itself. Not a single starter is expected to be signed away from another team in free agency.

What is shocking about Reuter’s prediction is the alignment he believes that manager Joe Espada is going to go with. When healthy, Houston has a lot of players who deserve to be in the lineup. But there are not enough spots. As a result, their defense is going to suffer greatly attempting to get all of the bats in the mix.

Jesus Sanchez Predicted To Be Bench Player for Astros

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Interestingly missing from the starting mix is Jesus Sanchez. Acquired from the Miami Marlins ahead of the MLB trade deadline this year, he is under team control through the 2027 campaign. A strong corner defender who offers some pop at the plate, he could end up being a fourth outfielder on the team based on Reuter’s projections.

That is because their long-time designated hitter, Yordan Alvarez, is in the lineup as the starting left fielder. Why is he back in the defensive mix? Because of a logjam in the infield, with Carlos Correa predicted to be the starting third baseman. That leaves no spot for All-Star Isaac Paredes, who is expected to handle the designated hitter’s spot.

It also means Jose Altuve will move back to second base on a more regular basis. That is going to put a ton of pressure on the rest of the team to step up their game defensively. Alvarez is performing better in the outfield this year than Altuve, who is becoming impossible to hide defensively. He is a major negative in left field and second base, but his bat remains good enough to warrant playing time.

Astros Will Need To Compensate for Underwhelming Defense

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Designated hitter will likely be a revolving position for Espada in 2026. It almost certainly will not be used on an almost exclusive basis by Alvarez as it has been in years past. Depending on the pitching matchup, it will likely be used to keep multiple players fresh with the defensive alignment consistently changing.

The Astros are going to have to score a lot of runs to make up for what could be a leaky defense at multiple spots. A lineup of Jeremy Pena, Alvarez, Altuve, Correa, Paredes, Christian Walker, Yainer Diaz, Cam Smith and Jake Meyers certainly looks capable of producing at a high level when everyone’s healthy.