The Houston Astros could be getting real experimental for the stretch run of the season.
Houston could potentially move their star slugger Yordan Alvarez into left field, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported this week on “Foul Territory.” Rome adds that the thinking for the Astros would be to target another bat at the trade deadline, adding that “nothing is off the table.”
Could the Astros move Yordan Alvarez to left field to help fix their offense at the trade deadline?@Chandler_Rome says "nothing is off the table," especially with a playoff push on the line. pic.twitter.com/p9jrDbBCfl
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 17, 2026
The lefty-hitting Alvarez, 29, has been Houston’s best player this season and arguably the best player in the entire American League. He leads the AL in hits (113), homers (31), RBIs (71), batting average (.321), and OPS (1.067).
Perhaps almost as impressive has been Alvarez’s availability this year. He has remarkably appeared in 97 of 99 games thus far for the Astros and has shed the injury-prone reputation that he gained last season after appearing in just 48 games due to hand and ankle issues.
That said, Houston needs a further jolt at the plate as their 19th-ranked offense (both by runs scored and by batting average) is a big reason why they sit at just 47-52 overall. Moving Alvarez permanently to left field, where he has already made 15 starts this season and 227 starts over his entire MLB career, would open up the designated hitter spot for another outside power bat.
Of course, playing left field is a much more taxing physical commitment and would drastically increase the risk of injury for Alvarez if done on a full-time basis. But the Astros obviously need some kind of shake-up ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline, especially after all of the notable selling that they have been doing recently.
