Heading into this strange 2020 season, Christian Yelich said that there are some good hitters who will have bad years. So far this statement has applied to Houston Astros 2B Jose Altuve. It is no secret that the 30-year-old has had a rough go of it this year. So in a truly humble move, Altuve has asked manager Dusty Baker to move him down in the Astros lineup.
Altuve Moves Down in Astros Lineup
Altuve was batting somewhere in the one through three spots all season before Saturday’s game. In Saturday’s game, he filled the seventh slot. It was the first time since 2011, his first year in the league, that he batted seventh in the lineup. Baker was going to continue to bat him third, but Altuve asked to move down in the order. He told Baker, “hey man I’m not helping the club right now at the top of the lineup… the guys ahead of me are swinging the bat better, playing better.”
In his first game batting seventh, Altuve went 1-3 with an RBI groundout. Overall on the season, Altuve has a slash line of .181/ .253/ .313. This is obviously a long way off from his career slash line of .312/ .362/ .460. But, with the change to the seven hole, Altuve may feel less pressure. This should help him get jump-started at the plate.
Other Lineup News
There is bad news on the injury front, as LF Michael Brantley has been placed on the Injured List due to right quad discomfort. The move is retroactive to Wednesday. The 33-year-old missed a few games because of the quad and attempted to play through it, going 2-24 with two doubles and two RBI. Overall on the season, Brantley has a slash line of .286/ .375/ .446. Kyle Tucker figures to be the primary left-fielder in his absence.
The bad news has come with some good news however, as DH Yordan Alvarez made his return in explosive fashion. In his first at-bat, he clubbed an opposite-field three-run home run. The 23-year-old has two hits in eight at-bats with a homer and four RBI through two games.
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