At Jose Altuve’s request, the Astros switch leadoff hitters in search of a spark

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HOUSTON — Jose Altuve does not demand much. His statistics, salary and standing as the face of a franchise suggest he should, but Altuve prioritizes his team’s performance over any public comments. Anything to increase it intrigues him, even if it appears abnormal.

Team officials have spent this April seeking a spark for the Houston Astros’ singles-happy offense. Only five teams awoke on Monday with fewer runs scored, just four boasted a lower slugging percentage and two totaled fewer home runs than the 21 Houston mustered through its first 27 games.

Altuve is involved in these discussions, unsurprising for a player of his stature. Manager Joe Espada said the nine-time All-Star “is always looking for ways to get everyone involved” while offering “really, really good ideas.”

Altuve’s latest authored a lineup shakeup. Not since June 17, 2023, had he started a game anywhere other than the leadoff spot, where Altuve’s ambushing style can strike fear from the game’s first pitch.

On Monday afternoon, at Altuve’s request, another name appeared atop the batting order. Shortstop Jeremy Peña supplanted Altuve as the team’s leadoff hitter, the most drastic in a series of moves intended to lengthen this listless lineup.

“We’ll see where it takes us,” Espada said. “I really want to put our guys in a position to succeed, and our lineup can be dynamic and create opportunities, and we can get some runs early in the game.”

Only the St. Louis Cardinals entered Monday with fewer first-inning runs than the Astros. Only the Colorado Rockies had a lower on-base percentage from the first three spots of their batting order in the first inning than the .247 mark Houston had extracted. Part of it is Altuve’s free-swinging approach — he’s worked six walks in his first 106 at-bats — and part is Yordan Alvarez’s subpar start.

Jose Altuve was batting .274 with a .678 OPS heading into Monday’s game. (Alex Slitz / Getty Images)

“My at-bats haven’t been really good or the way I want it lately,” Altuve said. “Maybe hitting with him on base or whoever on base will help me get to the point I want to. I’ve hit second before. When Springer was here, I hit second for a lot of years.”

No one involved in the discussions divulged an exact date when they arrived at this decision, though both Altuve and Espada acknowledged conversations had been ongoing for a while. Peña led off during Sunday’s 7-3 win against the Kansas City Royals, but only due to Altuve receiving his first off day of the season.

Altuve awoke on Monday in a 9-for-50 funk, a slump he tried to spin as the impetus for this shakeup. Altuve also acknowledged a need for more time to catch his breath after running into the dugout from left field — a position he just started playing this season.

“I just need like 10 more seconds,” Altuve said with a smile.

“I’m here to do whatever Joe tells me to do and whatever the team needs (from) me. They needed me in left field some games. They need me at second some games. I’ll be there. I think that extra 30 seconds coming from left is going to make me feel better at home plate.”

In reality, though, underperformance by the middle of Houston’s order forced Espada’s hand. Slotting Peña in the leadoff spot is an attempt to lengthen a lineup crippled by calamitous starts from Christian Walker and Yainer Diaz, two men who’ve combined for a .554 OPS since Opening Day.

Walker and Diaz are in no danger of losing their everyday roles, but continuing to hit them behind Alvarez reduced the number of hittable pitches Alvarez receives.

Asking rookies Zach Dezenzo or Cam Smith to hit any higher in the lineup is a difficult assignment for players still adjusting to the rigors of major-league life. Neither has done much to deserve an elevation in the batting order, either.

Peña has. His 107 OPS+ and .327 on-base percentage trail just third baseman Isaac Paredes for the team lead, but Peña’s peripheral numbers present a far more compelling case for more at-bats. His 31.6 percent chase rate is five points below his career average, paring his strikeout rate to 14.5 percent. Peña entered the season with a 20 percent punchout rate.

In the third year of his quest to elevate the baseball, Peña’s line-drive rate has spiked to 27.7 percent. Peña, who had at least a 50 percent ground-ball rate in each of the past two seasons, has just a 44.6 percent mark across his first 110 plate appearances.

“I think Jeremy has been hitting the ball good,” Altuve said. “He can run. He can be very dynamic on the bases, and I think that’s going to help me, going to help him and the whole team. He’s playing really good right now, so I think this is going to work out good.”

Peña is the fastest player on Houston’s team. Only Matt Chapman has a higher percentage of extra bases taken on hits than Peña, who has also stolen five bases. Putting him on base ahead of Altuve could create a dynamic Espada has craved all season, but his players haven’t produced.

“He can run (and) it opens the hole for Altuve, who actually likes to hit behind runners. He actually intentionally does that when we get runners in motion,” Espada said.

“Creating holes that way or just drawing the infield in, Altuve potentially bunting. There’s something about creating something different, a different look for Altuve, that I like about this move.”

Altuve rarely makes anything about him. He spent most of a five-minute scrum with reporters on Monday marveling at Peña’s maturity while urging general manager Dana Brown and owner Jim Crane to engineer a long-term contract extension for the shortstop. Similar pleas to re-sign Alex Bregman went unheard.

“Obviously, a lot of changes lately, but I think they’re all to get the team better,” said Altuve, a man who could be speaking about the day-to-day starting lineup or the trajectory of this entire franchise.

“I think we’re in a great position. Guys are getting hot. Yordan is getting hot. Everyone is pulling the same way, and that’s what we want.”

(Top photo of Jose Altuve and Jeremy Peña: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)

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