Jose Altuve Reacts to Astros’ Major Move Before Mets Game
The New York Mets and Houston Astros will both have new-look lineups when they face each other in Thursday’s Opening Day game. The Mets added superstar outfielder Juan Soto and right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes, the latter of whom will start Thursday’s contest. Meanwhile, in addition to moving longtime second baseman Jose Altuve to left field, the Astros acquired first baseman Christian Walker and third baseman Isaac Paredes while pivoting from star infielder Alex Bregman, who signed with the Boston Red Sox in free agency. However, Houston also made an under-the-radar move ahead of Opening Day that could have major ramifications on the rest of the season.
Houston Astros infielder Cam Smith (90) © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images The club promoted right fielder/third baseman Cam Smith to the regular-season roster after hitting .342 with four homers and 11 RBI in the spring. Altuve has already voiced his approval of the move.
That was awesome…he’s talented, he deserves it,” Altuve said. “That was awesome…he’s talented, he deserves it” – Jose Altuve on Cam Smith making the team — Ari Alexander (@AriA1exander) March 27, 2025 Smith will also start in right field against the Mets on Thursday in what will be his MLB debut. The Astros acquired the 22-year-old from the Chicago Cubs on Dec. 13 in a package including Paredes and Hayden Wesneski for Kyle Tucker. The Cubs drafted him No. 14 overall in 2024, and he slashed .313/.396/.609 with seven homers, 24 RBI, and two stolen bases in the minor leagues last season. Meanwhile, Houston will start southpaw Framber Valdez on the mound against
Holmes. The former went 2-0 with a 3.45 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in the spring and is a two-time All-Star/All-MLB honoree. The Mets will face the Miami Marlins on the road after their three-game set against the Astros before returning home to host the Toronto Blue Jays.
Astros fans get Opening Day reminder that Cam Smith experiment comes with a cost
he Houston Astros haven’t been able to hide their excitement about top prospect Cam Smith this spring.
Acquired over the winter in the Kyle Tucker trade with the Chicago Cubs, Smith was thought to be at least a year away, given that the 2024 first-round pick had played all of five games above A-ball. But it didn’t take long for that timeline to get accelerated: Smith hit the absolute cover off the ball throughout spring training, and before long it was clear Houston would be forced to put him on the Major League roster for Opening Day.
Asking such a young and inexperienced player to handle Major League pitching on a daily basis would’ve been enough on its own. But the Astros were also asking Smith to learn a new position more or less on the fly: The only way for Houston to fit him into the starting lineup was in the outfield, a position which Smith, a third baseman by trade, had never played professionally. It felt like there were bound to be some bumps in the road, no matter how promising a talent Smith is. And sure enough, the first bump came right in the team’s very first game.
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Cam Smith reminds Astros fans that learning right field on the fly is hard
You know what they say: The ball has a way of finding you, wherever you may be. And that was the case in the top of the fifth inning, when Smith failed to corral a soft line drive off the bat of New York Mets catcher Luis Torrens. It appeared to be a catchable ball, but Smith’s sliding attempt came up just short, playing what could have been an out into a double.
Which, again, is certainly not to say that Smith is a terrible outfielder, or that he’ll never get better. This was his first game at the Major League level, and his first time trying to navigate right field in a game that counts. It would’ve been totally unreasonable to expect a smooth transition here, and this is simply the tradeoff that Houston is willing to make in order to get Smith’s bat into the lineup as soon as possible.
Still, the Astros had better hope that tradeoff is worth it, because this might not get better for the foreseeable future as Smith gets his feet under him.
