Astros bizarre lineup tweak highlights unexpected flaw in Jose Altuve position switch

There were always pros and cons to the Houston Astros' choice to move Jose Altuve to the outfield. While it removed Altuve from a position where his defense sunk to a below-average level, it introduced the risk of him struggling even more in the outfield. Few, however, assumed that the change in position would result in the lineup alteration the Astros rolled out on Monday.

Altuve has hit leadoff for most of his career. With 919 games batting first in the lineup, Altuve has posted an .843 OPS. On Tuesday, however, Houston tweaked the lineup and Jeremy Peña was leading off instead of Altuve.

As it turns out, not only was Altuve aware of the change ahead of time, but it was his idea, and for a truly bizarre reason. Because he's now playing left field instead of second base, Altuve needed more time to get to the dugout between innings.

Jose Altuve was moved down in the Astros lineup because he needs more time to come off the field

The lineup change didn't seem to have affected Altuve at the plate whatsoever. After being bumped down to No. 2 in the batting order, he immediately went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run on Monday night against the Detroit Tigers. Altuve does have extensive experience batting second in the lineup, so this isn't a completely foreign concept to him.

Altuve's explanation — that he needs more time to come in from left field before he hits — isn't going to slow down the jokes about the 34-year-old getting a bit long in the tooth. While it's relatable to a lot of fans, it isn't exactly what you want to hear from a player who Houston needs to perform like an All-Star and recently received a $125 million contract extension through 2029. One only hopes Altuve doesn't start lobbying for a golf cart to bring him into the dugout next.

There is another problem with the Astros' new lineup plan. Moving Altuve down a spot isn't a big deal (even if the reason is questionable), but Peña being the choice to bat leadoff with a career .309 on-base percentage isn't a great fit. Isaac Paredes or even Yordan Alvarez (assuming he didn't hurt himself on Monday) would probably be better, more consistent options if the Astros are actually looking to score runs.

This feels like Altuve's call, and the former MVP was effusive in his praise of Peña before the game. This may have been the Astros' best option given the situation. There is some wisdom in what Houston is doing right now, but the lineup change feels half-baked, and like the justification for the move, isn't exactly what you would like to see.

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