Jose Altuve stated his openness to a position change in the context of a specific pursuit, saying he would “do whatever,” including move from second base, if it helped the Houston Astros re-sign Alex Bregman.
Astros general manager Dana Brown said he expects Altuve to take reps practicing as a left fielder next month during the team's Spring Training in West Palm Beach, Florida. Altuve has never logged a game in the outfield across his 14 MLB seasons, and he's logged just two starts at shortstop, his only non-second-base position to date.
Altuve, who stands 5-foot-6, has never played the outfield at any point over his more than 15,000 defensive innings.
HOUSTON — The idea of Jose Altuve playing left field for the Astros first surfaced last week. It was reportedly Altuve's idea as a way to shift things around to make room for free agent third baseman Alex Bregman to return.
Though the Astros have re-engaged with Bregman, general manager Dana Brown on Saturday characterized any potential reunion as a “long shot” given the state of Houston’s roster. Brown intimated that Bregman’s slow-moving market surprised the club and caused it to circle back.
The Houston Astros have been among the best teams in the American League over the past few seasons. After reaching seven consecutive American League Championship Series from 2017 to 2023, the Astros lost to the Detroit Tigers in the wild-card round in 2024.
At the team's Fanfest, Jose Altuve talked about his willingness to play the outfield if it will help the Astros re-sign Alex Bregman in free agency.
Houston Astros career second baseman Jose Altuve is so eager for former teammate Alex Bregman to potentially return to the squad, the nine-time All-Star is willing to move to left field.
Astros star Jose Altuve is "willing to do whatever," including switching positions, to keep Alex Bregman with Houston.
Jose Altuve says he is willing to move out of the infield in 2025 if it means bringing Alex Bregman back to Houston. "We haven't talked about it, but
A reunion between Alex Bregman and the Houston Astros could be on the horizon, which means Jose Altuve could be on the move -- positionally.
A reunion with free-agent third baseman Alex Bregman would be met with overwhelming approval in the Astros’ clubhouse. It would also give Houston an abundance of infielders and force the Astros to get creative on defensive positioning.