Jose Altuve has all the reasons to get pissed at himself. A career .301 hitter is hitting only .234 this season, his lowest of his career since the pandemic-delayed season of 2020. Moreover, Altuve missed 17 games due to an oblique strain and is hitting only .158 in the last 11 games since his return. Altuve is the face of the Houston Astros and recently signed a huge contract to stay until 2029. These bad numbers are putting a lot of pressure on him. This pressure is finally showing. During Friday’s game, the normally calm player struck out in the first inning. He got so mad that he smashed his batting helmet into the ground.

“He’s pissed,” Joe Espada said about the angry moment, according to reporter Chandler Rome.

Friday saw Altuve’s last drop of patience fade and a sign of resurgence. In the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday, Altuve swung through a fastball that was far above the strike zone. He missed, and that was his third strike. Frustrated enough, the otherwise cool-headed Altuve slammed his helmet so hard that an audible crack was heard. He then flung his bat and went towards the dugout. That was the sign of Altuve losing patience with himself. And why not?

His anger makes a lot of sense right now. Because he is hitting so poorly, Espada moved Altuve down to the fifth spot in the batting order on Friday. He sports a .715 OPS after 230 plate appearances, and Friday’s first-inning strikeout made it worse.

Altuve’s bad hitting is also hurting his team’s chances of making the playoffs. It is late June, and the Astros have a losing record of 36-41. They are stuck in fourth place in their division and are three games behind. Houston really needs Altuve to start playing well if they want to save their season.

“He knows he’s better than what he’s showing right now,” Espada said. “He’s getting to that point where he wants to come through for the team, and we know eventually it’s going to happen. I love the fact that he threw his helmet, by the way. That really fired me up,” Espada added. And Jose Altuve took another fice innings to prove that he surely got fired up.

A three-run homer in the sixth inning is all it took to prove that Altuve is not done yet. The man himself, though, is not satisfied yet.

“I just have to do better,” Altuve said. “I have to swing at better pitches, I have to hit the ball hard. I’m working on that, but I have to be better and help this team win. Obviously, I’m a little frustrated with how my season’s going.”

The last time Altuve got this angry was during a very different event in 2024. During a game against the San Diego Padres, he hit a ball that he said bounced off his foot. He angrily slammed his bat and helmet, then removed his shoe right at the plate to show the umpire the mark on his bare foot, which resulted in an ejection. This time, a go-ahead homer followed his frustration, and the man surely means business.

“Hopefully tonight, two big swings, I can show up tomorrow and do similar things, and I can turn my season around,” Altuve added.

Altuve is heating up, and perhaps his biggest competition is in his clubhouse.

Yordan Alvarez is doing the Jose Altuve things in 2026

Since he started playing in 2011, Altuve has been the biggest star for the Astros. He led the American League in hits for four years in a row from 2014 to 2017. He got more than 200 hits in each of those years. Altuve is second all-time for the Astros in total hits, behind only Craig Biggio.

However, 2026 may see the baton pass from Altuve to Yordan Alvarez. Currently hitting .324 with 24 HRs, the Astros might have the next Altuve. On the other hand, age might be taking a toll on Altuve. This year, his average bat speed of 69 mph is his lowest since Statcast started in 2023. It is still, though, too early to write off the Astros veteran because, with a 69.4 mph bat speed, Altuve won a Silver Slugger in 2024.

Jose Altuve remains the heart and soul of the Astros. His contract will get him through 2029, and thus, he will still be the face of Daikin Park.