Astros need to end Jose Altuve experiment

The Houston Astros are embarrassing a franchise icon to begin the 2025 season.

After trading outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs, the Astros were desperate to find any production in the outfield. Second baseman Jose Altuve shifted to left field, with infielder Brendan Rodgers taking over as the primary second baseman.

There were reasons for concern even before the season began. Altuve had never played in the outfield in his professional career. Utility man Mauricio Dubon, nominally atop the Astros' depth chart at second, had 85 games of experience in left heading into the season. As the Astros had planned to have both Altuve and Dubon in the lineup, keeping their nine-time All-Star second baseman at the keystone would have made sense.

Instead, the Astros' left field experiment has been an exercise in futility. Although Altuve had not been charged with an error entering Saturday, his mistakes in left have hurt the Astros. Catchable balls have fallen in for hits, extending innings and leading to additional runs. Altuve has graded out as one of the worst defensive left fielders thus far, having cost the Astros two runs defensively thus far.

Those miscues continued on Saturday. Twins first baseman Ty France singled to left in the bottom of the fourth inning. Altuve fumbled the ball as he attempted to get it out of his glove, allowing outfielder Byron Buxton to tie the game at 1-1 — the first of six runs the Twins would score that inning.