Though still in a tentative stage, the Jose Altuve-in-left field experiment is underway. Two weeks remain until the Houston Astros hold their first full-squad workout of spring training. But in Houston,

Michael Shapiro is a sports reporter for Chron, covering the Astros, Rockets, Texans and every team in town. Michael is a Denver native and graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, and a noted fan of pull-up threes, wide-receiver passes and a good hot fudge sundae.

Altuve, who stands 5-foot-6, has never played the outfield at any point over his more than 15,000 defensive innings.