The Houston Astros are embarrassing a franchise icon to start the 2025 season.
After buying and selling outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Cubs, the Astros had been determined to seek out any manufacturing within the outfield. Second baseman Jose Altuve shifted to left field, with infielder Brendan Rodgers taking on as the first second baseman.
There have been causes for concern even earlier than the season started. Altuve had by no means performed within the outfield in his skilled profession. Utility man Mauricio Dubon, nominally atop the Astros’ depth chart at second, had 85 video games of expertise in left heading into the season. Because the Astros had deliberate to have each Altuve and Dubon within the lineup, maintaining their nine-time All-Star second baseman on the keystone would have made sense.
As an alternative, the Astros’ left area experiment has been an train in futility. Though Altuve had not been charged with an error coming into Saturday, his errors in left have harm the Astros. Catchable balls have fallen in for hits, extending innings and resulting in further runs. Altuve has graded out as one of many worst defensive left fielders to date, having cost the Astros two runs defensively to date.
These miscues continued on Saturday. Twins first baseman Ty France singled to left within the backside of the fourth inning. Altuve fumbled the ball as he tried to get it out of his glove, permitting outfielder Byron Buxton to tie the sport at 1-1 — the primary of six runs the Twins would rating that inning.
