Astros’ Jose Altuve still looks like a mess in left field after position change

Jose Altuve is one of the best players in Houston Astros history.

But he might not be a competent left fielder.

The Astros have moved Altuve to the outfield this spring, in part to ensure Yordan Alvarez gets to spend almost every day in the lineup at DH. There’s just one problem: Altuve is struggling.

The latest woe came Wednesday night, when Altuve came in on a lazy fly ball to left field that an MLB outfielder should catch 100 times out of 100. He dropped it.

Left field continues to be an adventure for Jose Altuve pic.twitter.com/pr5jZiYoQB

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 19, 2025MORE: Mets subtly reveal Juan Soto’s spot in the order

Earlier this spring, Altuve spoke on the transition from second base to left field.

“I feel like every ball I get is going to be a new thing, something I’m going to learn and I’ll make the adjustments for the future,” Altuve told MLB.com. “We’ve just got to make adjustments quick and go from there.”

Altuve’s entire starting career in the field in MLB (1,749 games) has come at second base. He’s never even played the outfield in the minor leagues or in winter ball.

Houston might be just trying to fit a square peg into a round opening. The Astros clearly aren’t giving up on this experiment, but it might have some uncomfortable moments still to come.

MORE MLB:

Red Sox seem set in third base decisionYankees’ new star has smelly superstitionYankees legend sees big season coming for Cody BellingerCubs rookie predicted to join Cubs history with Kris BryantShohei Ohtani earns incredible comparisons