Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Astros, Rockets, Texans and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

Houston Astros manager Joe Espada and general manager Dana Brown shed more light on the reasons why Jose Altuve could log time in the outfield in 2025.

Altuve, who stands 5-foot-6, has never played the outfield at any point over his more than 15,000 defensive innings.

HOUSTON — The idea of Jose Altuve playing left field for the Astros first surfaced last week. It was reportedly Altuve's idea as a way to shift things around to make room for free agent third baseman Alex Bregman to return.

Astros general manager Dana Brown said he expects Altuve to take reps practicing as a left fielder next month during the team's Spring Training in West Palm Beach, Florida. Altuve has never logged a game in the outfield across his 14 MLB seasons, and he's logged just two starts at shortstop, his only non-second-base position to date.

If the Houston Astros re-sign Alex Bregman, Jose Altuve will likely move to the outfield. That alignment shuffle will have Houston's lineup looking different once Opening Day arrives.