Jose

Altuve

Paredes is batting third for the second straight contest with Jose Altuve in the cleanup spot and Christian Walker hitting fifth. It’s a bit of a new-look lineup for Astros manager Joe Espada after Paredes mostly hit fifth or lower over the first month. The 27-year-old is in a groove right now, hitting .240 (6-for-25) with two homers and four RBI over his last seven games.

Altuve reached on an infield single to open the second inning and scored the Astros’ first run on a two-out RBI single by Yainer Diaz. He then doubled to lead off the fourth inning and raced around to score on a ground ball off the bat of Cam Smith. With his two-hit attack, the 35-year-old infielder is now hitting .267/.362/.426 to go along with three homers, eight RBI and one stolen base across 116 plate appearances.

Altuve had a lousy day defensively as well, committing one error and also then failing to handle another grounder in the ninth that was generously ruled a hit. The 0-for-14 series dropped Altuve’s average from .298 to .255 and his OPS from .880 to .762.

Altuve receives his first day off after making 18 consecutive starts to open the season. The 35-year-old veteran second baseman is hitting .288/.405/.455 with 13 runs scored, two homers, six RBI and one steal in 79 plate appearances. Isaac Paredes will handle the keystone in his absence with Nick Allen getting a turn at shortstop.

That’s Altuve’s third game already in 2026 with three or more hits. He singled twice and also doubled. Altuve has looked outstanding at the top of the Houston lineup to open the campaign, and he’s slashing .333/.457/.526 over 58 at-bats.

Altuve has his second three-hit game of the season, and it’s probably not the last. The 35-year-old has doubled four times over 11 games, and he’s bumped his slash to an outstanding .378/.531/.649. Unfortunately for Altuve and the Astros, it comes in a losing effort, but this is an impressive first few weeks for the second baseman, to say the least.

Both homers came off Johan Oviedo, who was working in relief of Ranger Suárez. It’s his 15th career multihomer game and the seventh time that he’s scored four runs. One of the previous times he scored four runs was when he hit for the cycle against the Red Sox in 2023.

Altuve was deemed ineligible because the criteria for WBC insurance coverage was not met. A statement from the MLBPA on Altuve’s behalf stated that the 35-year-old is “is obviously disappointed in this result, but he is looking forward to getting to spring training and preparing himself for a successful season.”

It remains unclear how Houston plans to incorporate Paredes into their infield mix with Christian Walker occupying first base and Carlos Correa stationed at third base. The 26-year-old slugging infielder’s pull-heavy approach seems like a perfect fit for Daikin Park’s favorable left-field dimensions and he projects as a 20-homer lock with everyday at-bats. The possibility of adding second base-eligibility is an interesting wrinkle for fantasy purposes but the Astros are committed to playing franchise cornerstone Jose Altuve at the keystone next season.

Espada added that Altuve will draw the occasional start in left field but the Astros are planning to keep him at the keystone next season. It’s undoubtedly a positive development for his long-term fantasy appeal as he’ll retain eligibility at arguably the weakest position group instead of transitioning to a full-time outfield role. The 35-year-old veteran underwent minor offseason foot surgery after hitting .265/.329/.442 with 26 homers and 10 steals over 155 games. He’s averaged 24 homers and 13 steals per-season for the last half-decade and has shown zero signs of slowing down. He’ll be an early-round selection in all fantasy drafts this spring.