Astros' insistence on playing 9x All-Star Jose Altuve out of 2B despite Alex Bregman's departure draws 1-word reaction from Eric Hosmer

Jose Altuve has served as the Houston Astros' second baseman since he debuted in 2011. Over the course of 14 years, Altuve has played 1765 games at 2B bringing a ton of success to Houston.

However, with spring training right around the corner, there are plans to move Altuve away from second base. Instead, they would like to gradually move him into a role in left field.

This has left plenty of fans and former players like Eric Hosmer stunned. Nobody would have guessed Houston to move Altuve into the outfield, especially with news of Alex Bregman signing with the Red Sox.

"Why!?" Hosmer asked.

While this is a surprise to many, the front office has been going over this potential move for a good portion of the offseason. Altuve is certainly not the same player he was when he entered the league in 2011.

Moving Altuve into the outfield will allow some younger guys to get playing time. Mauricio Dubon has spent time at second base and could be the team's primary 2B going forward.

The Astros have questions to answer with Opening Day quickly approaching

Houston Astros - Joe Espada (Photo via IMAGN)

Pitchers and catchers have already made it to camp with the rest of the position players not far behind them. We are now getting into the swing of things and it will not be long before meaningful baseball games are played daily.

For the Astros, they have quite a few questions going into camp. While they recently learned they would be without Alex Bregman this season, they still have plenty of work to do.

The first question they will have to answer is who will be taking over for Bregman at third base? Bregman has been the team's primary third baseman during his tenure in Houston, but the club has some options.

This offseason, Houston sent Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs. In return, they received Isaac Paredes, Hayden Wesneski, and Cam Smith. Paredes and Smith can both play third base and it could come down to a battle between the two.

They also must find some depth in their starting rotation. Neither Luis Garcia, Cristian Javier, nor Lance McCullers Jr. will be ready when the 2025 season kicks off.

With the season starting soon, Houston must figure out their rotation and lineup. They are coming off a 2024 season where they looked like a shell of themselves and will be searching for some payback.