Real reason for Jose Altuve's position change uncovered by MLB insider

Since making his big league debut for the Houston Astros in 2011, Jose Altuve has gone on to become arguably their most influential player. The Venezuelan's trophy cabinet contains nine All-Star caps, two World Series titles, an AL MVP award, a Gold Glove and seven Silver Slugger awards.

Until very recently, Altuve had been a fixture at second base, but during the 2025 season, he has shifted his position to left field to accommodate the incoming Isaac Paredes and plug the hole left by departing outfielder Kyle Tucker.

According to insider Joel Sherman, though, Altuve's defensive frailties at second base prompted the change, instead of him sacrificing his position for other players.

"When this (change) initially came up, it was built into - they (Astros) were trying to bring Alex Bregman back, and the idea was he (Altuve) would go to left field, they had traded for Isaac Paredes, he'd play third, Bregman would play second. But this was really the plan all along. Altuve's second base play had become kind of rough, so they moved him to the outfield," Joel Sherman said (via MLB Network on Sunday.)

"You get the advantage. In Houston, you play in front of the Crawford boxes, it's not a lot of territory to cover. Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez are two of the biggest ground ball guys, he's always in left field when they start, that's another way to cover up on him," Sherman added

---

Astros GM commends Jose Altuve's seamless transition to left field

Speaking about how Jose Altuve has seemingly slotted into his new position in the outfield without much hiccup, Astros GM Dana Brown commended the Venezuelan's versatility.

"The transition is going well," Brown said (via MLB Now.) "Look, for a guy that hasn't played out there, he's really athletic; that's what's key. He's getting to a lot of balls in the gaps; he's coming in well. So, he's been doing pretty well for a guy that's never played out there, and he's learning still at the Major League level, which is pretty tough to do."

"This is the highest level of baseball, so for the most part he's done a really good job and he's growing more each day," Brown added

As a new-look Astros unit look to challenge for the AL West and go deep into the postseason, fans will hope that Jose Altuve can continue to be his same old reliable self.