May 22, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Astros left fielder Jose Altuve (27) shakes hands with Houston Astros third base coach Tony Perezchica (12) after hitting a two run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the sixth inning at Daikin Park. Erik Williams-Imagn Images

Can Huge Night For Astros Superstar Finally Break Him Out of Horrific Slump?

Originally posted on Houston Astros on SI
By Michael Brauner | Last updated May 23, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The Houston Astros got their massive four-game series against their first place division rival Seattle Mariners off on the right foot on Thursday night.

With a chance to turn things on their head this weekend, the Astros certainly came out playing like it in what was an impressive 9-2 victory.

Getting a win -- especially against a hated rival during a tight divisional race -- is always nice, but what may have even been more significant than the win is the night Houston's face of the franchise had.

In the midst of one of the worst slumps of his decorated career and without a home run in what was closing in on a full month, Altuve sent two vintage moonshots into left field and would end the night with four RBI:

Jose Altuve had not hit a home run since April 28th.

He has TWO tonight! pic.twitter.com/b7xIu9JrdO
— MLB (@MLB) May 23, 2025

Jose Altuve in Midst of Worst Career Season For Astros

Before Thursday, Altuve had gone 80 consecutive at-bats without a home run, but it's not just the power which has been down.

Entering the series against the Mariners, Altuve owned a slash line of .238/.294/.335 and just has not looked like himself all year long.

To his credit, his move to the outfield -- which was questioned and ridiculed by many -- has not gone nearly as poorly as some suspected it could before the season.

The impressive display of defensive well roundedness has not translated to the plate for the future Hall of Famer for whatever reason though.

Over the last couple of weeks, Altuve has been particularly unproductive even in comparison to his paltry numbers on the season.

After bouncing back from an injury-filled 2023 last year to have a really nice season, there was hope that Altuve -- now 35 years old -- still has a ton of production left in him.

That very much still could be the case, but in 2025 he is currently responsible for a bWAR of -0.7 and just overall has not looked comfortable.

If Thursday night's performance can be exactly what Altuve needed to bust out of what has really been a season long slump, it's going to be an absolutely massive development for Houston.

This is a team that needs their superstar to be just that, and if he cannot be they are going to have a hard time making any real noise this season.

If Altuve is indeed back however, the Astros just might be back as well.

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

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