Is Jose Altuve’s move to left field overblown?

In Altuve's first start in left field last week, he didn't have a single ball hit in his direction. In his second start in left, Altuve had two opportunities. The first was a ground ball in which Altuve made a throwing error trying to throw out a runner at home. The second opportunity went better, with Altuve making a nice catch at the wall. If Altuve only gets two or three balls hit his way per game, which could very well be the case, will this be a smoother transition than initially thought?

Astros manager Joe Espada is making it clear—if Altuve is moving to left field, it won’t be a temporary experiment. “I would like to leave him at one position for the majority of games,” Espada said. “The back and forth is something that I am going to avoid.”

Barring injuries or roster changes, Espada expects Altuve to get more starts in left field than at second base. The shift also allows the Astros to be flexible, potentially opening up DH opportunities when Yordan Alvarez gets some occasional starts in left field.

Outfield depth still a concern

Houston’s outfield situation remains shaky. Ben Gamel has yet to record a hit this spring and has been sidelined with back soreness, though he’s expected to return this week. Jake Meyers, who was also off to a slow start, finally showed signs of life Sunday with a pair of RBI singles. Meanwhile, prospect Jacob Melton has been reassigned to minor league camp but could see more Grapefruit League action down the line.

The offensive struggles don’t end there. Heading into Monday's game, Chas McCormick and Mauricio Dubon had yet to record a hit this spring. However, McCormick did come through with a hit and an RBI on Monday. Yippee!

A call for help?

Outfielder Alex Verdugo is still on the market. Astros GM Dana Brown reportedly checked in on Verdugo several weeks ago, but his price tag appears too rich for Houston as they try to stay under the luxury tax. With Altuve appearing to be a staple in left field, should the club consider adding Verdugo to replace Meyers or McCormick, considering their continued struggles at the plate? Or should Verdugo's disappointing 2024 season be enough to scare the club away from signing him?

Bullpen questions linger

Josh Hader, once a fixture on Buster Olney's top reliever lists, was relegated to the "honorable mention" section this year following a down season. With Houston hoping to manage the workload of Hader and Bryan Abreu, should they have considered bringing back Hector Neris? The veteran reliever recently signed a minor-league deal with Atlanta.

Prospects and pitching notes

While several of the big-league bats have struggled, prospects Shay Whitcomb and Zack Dezenzo have shown some promise. Whitcomb has collected three hits, including a home run, while Dezenzo has five hits in sixteen at-bats with a double.

On the mound, Lance McCullers Jr. faced live hitters and reached nearly 95 mph on the radar gun, a positive sign for his return.

Cam Smith continues to rake, driving in three runs with a triple on Monday. So that's three walks, two homers, and a bases clearing triple. Pretty, pretty good.

With Isaac Paredes (homered over the weekend), Hayden Wesneski (pitched two scoreless innings on Monday), and Smith looking as advertised, the haul for Kyle Tucker is looking good so far!

We're just scratching the surface on everything covered in the video above. Be sure to hit play to watch the full conversation!

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