The player Astros fans will be watching most on Opening Day

There will be no shortage of players to watch on Opening Day for the Houston Astros. From fan favorites to new additions to key cogs, you could make a case for several different players. Admittedly, not much can be gleaned from just one game, but with the bright lights of the regular season coming on, there's one player who could really benefit from making a statement.

That player is Jose Altuve. It might sound strange that a player in pursuit of 3,000 hits has something to prove on Opening Day, but that's where we stand with the current face of the franchise as he battles Father Time.

The soon-to-be 36-year-old has struggled mightily this spring. He's hit .136/.179/.216 this spring, but more than the final line, it's the way he's been scuffling that's cause for concern. Altuve has made a living off being able to make contact at a high rate despite his aggressiveness. He's always been a free swinger, but he's been a rarity, striking out just 13.1% for his career. That's why the 33.3% strikeout rate he's been running this spring has been so concerning.

Jose Altuve having a big Opening Day could be the precursor to a boom from the Astros' lineup

There's no doubt that Altuve is in his decline phase. He was roughly a league-average hitter last season by OPS in April, May, and June. His 1.055 OPS in July was a turn-back-the-clock moment, but his .689 OPS from August 1 onwards, combined with his spring swoon, has raised some red flags that from here on out, the decline could be precipitous.

MLB.com omitted the Astros from their top-10 lineups in the game today, but they did name the club as an honorable mention that could vault itself into consideration with the game's best should Yordan Alvarez stay healthy and return to his pre-2025 form. You can never predict injuries, but assuming a clean bill of health, it's a good bet that the 28-year-old superstar returns to the top echelon of hitters where he resided prior to his injury-plagued campaign a year ago.

A productive Altuve vaults the lineup to another stratosphere. It's unreasonable to expect 2023 levels of performance from him, but if he can return even to his 2024 form and push an .800 OPS, it would be a huge boost to the Astros playoff hopes in 2026.

You can't glean much from an Opening Day performance, but if you believe in momentum, breaking out of his spring funk and having massive success in the first game of the season would bode well for the former superstar. Houston will still be tied to the star second baseman for the foreseeable future, so the longer he can prolong the inevitable difficult conversation, the better off the team will be.