Jose Altuve outfield experiment officially in full swing after Astros' latest reveal

Ready or not, here it comes. After hearing rumblings throughout the offseason, the Houston Astros will finally deploy Jose Altuve in left field for the team's Grapefruit League game against the St. Louis Cardinals this Friday.

The rumors of a potential Altuve position change took root while the Astros' attempted to re-sign Alex Bregman this winter. Though the two-time All-Star ultimately decided to sign with the Boston Red Sox, his longtime teammate disclosed a willingness to change positions if it meant Houston would be able to reunite with Bregman.

It appears, however, that despite the Astros' failed attempt to bring Bregman back to Houston, the team plans to follow through with the notion of moving Altuve to the outfield. Since spring training began, reports have been swirling about Altuve's impending shift from the infield dirt to the outfield grass.

Astros will deploy Jose Altuve in the outfield for Friday's game vs. Cardinals

While still in the experimental stages, there's every reason to believe that this move has merit. After all, Altuve's defense has fallen off a cliff in recent years, and with so many talented infield prospects coming up through the Astros' pipeline, a position change seems inevitable.

Houston has also doubled down on the efforts to backfill second base with the offseason additions of Luis Guillorme and Brendan Rodgers. If Altuve's transition to the outfield actually sticks, the Astros now have a pair of serviceable infielders who can fill in at the keystone until one of Cam Smith or Brice Matthews is ready for The Show.

There's obvious concern that such a move won't work. Many an infielder has tried his hand at moving to the outfield and failed miserably. We're also not talking about a 21-year-old fledgling prospect who has the wind at his back and unlimited athleticism. Altuve is nearly 35 years old and doesn't cover as much ground as he used. Thankfully, however, left field at Daikin Park is one of the smallest in the major leagues and that should work in Altuve's favor.

Many Astros fans have their doubts, but if any player can make this transition look seamless, it's Altuve. And let's face it, Houston's other options aren't all that great. If it's not Altuve, the Astros would likely be sending out Ben Gamel to left field on Opening Day. Given that reality, most Astros fans would prefer to take their chances with Altuve.

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