Astros Make Jose Altuve Decision Before Yankees Series Finale
The Houston Astros will look to avoid a sweep as they close out their series against the New York Yankees on Sunday afternoon.
Houston enters the matchup at 10-18 on the season, while New York carries an 18-9 record and an eight-game winning streak into the series finale.
The Astros' offense has been inconsistent during their recent stretch, going 3-7 over their last 10 games while being outscored by 15 runs.
Despite those struggles, Houston still leads the American League with a .436 team slugging percentage.
Houston has leaned heavily on their core lineup early in the season, including veteran second baseman Jose Altuve, who has been a constant presence in the lineup, starting each of Houston's previous nine games heading into Sunday's contest.
However, Altuve's streak will come to an end against the Yankees.
According to MLB.com's Brian McTaggart, Altuve is out of the starting lineup on Sunday and will receive a day off for rest.
With Altuve out of the lineup, Houston will turn to Braden Shewmake at second base for Sunday's game, with the backup batting ninth in the order.
The decision, however, could also be explained by a bit of a drop in Altuve's production, as it comes with the veteran cooling off at the plate of late, recording just two hits across his last 20 at-bats.
Sunday morning coming down: pic.twitter.com/EmrD2Vo3dj
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) April 26, 2026
The Astros will look to regroup behind a slightly adjusted lineup as they try to snap their recent stretch and avoid extending the Yankees' winning streak.
Houston has lost back-to-back games and seven of their last nine outings, only winning twice in the previous road series against the Cleveland Guardians.
Sunday's matchup features right-hander Spencer Arrighetti on the mound for Houston against New York's Luis Gil, with the first pitch scheduled for 2:10 p.m. ET.
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This story was originally published April 26, 2026 at 10:01 AM.