Who's in left? Altuve set to make 1st OF start this spring

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Jose Altuve will make his long-awaited debut in left field in a Grapefruit League game later this week, manager Joe Espada said Tuesday morning. The All-Star second baseman is making the transition to the outfield this year and has spent the majority of his time this spring learning the outfield.

¡°He¡¯s actually been pretty good out there,¡± Espada said. ¡°One thing, it¡¯s practice and we can control the environment and the volume, but once the game starts he¡¯ll be tested and we¡¯ll get a better read of where he¡¯s at. Right now, the attitude is exactly what we¡¯re expecting and the work has been pretty good.¡±

Altuve, who won his only Gold Glove at second base in 2015, has slipped defensively in recent years. His outs above average, which peaked at plus-6 in 2018, dropped from plus-1 in ¡¯22 to minus-3 in ¡¯23 and minus-9 last year, which was the second-worst among qualifying second basemen. He had minus-13 defensive runs saved in ¡¯23 and ¡¯24, and minus-15 in ¡®22.

Between trading Kyle Tucker and trying to limit Yordan Alvarez¡¯s at-bats to mostly DH this year, the Astros have an opening in left. Their 2024 No. 6 prospect Zach Dezenzo will get a look in left, and Chas McCormick started in left field Tuesday, but he is slotted as the starter in right.

Dubin, Le¨®n sidelined

Astros reliever Shawn Dubin and outfielder Pedro Le¨®n, both of whom recently had MRIs, will be sidelined ¡°for a while,¡± Espada said.

Dubin traveled to Houston on Monday for an MRI on his right shoulder, which showed inflammation, so he will be shut down. Le¨®n suffered a Grade 1 strain of the medial collateral ligament in his left knee, but surgery won¡¯t be needed.

The injury to Dubin casts doubt on his availability for the beginning of the regular season. The right-hander appeared in 31 games for the Astros last year, making two starts, and posted a 4.17 ERA in 45 1/3 innings. Le¨®n, who went 2-for-20 in his Major League debut last year, hit .299 with 25 doubles, 24 home runs, 29 steals and 90 RBIs at Triple-A Sugar Land last year.

Meanwhile, Espada said pitchers Lance McCullers Jr. and Luis Garcia both rebounded fine Tuesday after throwing in the bullpen Monday. McCullers threw 35 pitches and is scheduled to take the next step and throw live batting practice in a few days. McCullers missed the past two seasons with a forearm injury, and Garcia has been out since undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023.

Catching up

The Astros and Mets, who met for the second time this spring on Tuesday and will battle each other in Houston to begin the regular season, had similar regular seasons last year. Both teams got off to poor starts, then rallied to make the playoffs -- though the Astros lost in the AL Wild Card Series and the Mets advanced to the NLCS.

Both teams were also led by rookie managers -- Houston by Espada and New York by Carlos Mendoza -- who are close friends and former Minor League teammates. Espada said they spoke often last year about how their seasons were progressing.

¡°We both kind of shared some moments throughout the season,¡± Espada said. ¡°Our teams got out to really slow starts so we leaned on one another without giving too much detail about our clubs. We¡¯ve been friends for a very long time and I¡¯m happy for the way his season turned out. He¡¯s a tremendous friend.¡±