Astros' Jose Altuve: Batting in two-hole Tuesday

Astros manager A.J. Hinch dropped Altuve from his normal leadoff spot to second in the batting order for Tuesday's series opener against Baltimore, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Analysis:

It's not a drastic change for an offense that is struggling to score runs, but Hinch's likely intent is to put Altuve in better position to drive in more runs. The three-time All-Star ranks is pacing the Astros with a .328 batting average and he ranks second on the team with 27 RBI.