Jose Altuve is set to play in left field for the Houston Astros. (Meg Oliphant/TNS)

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Mauricio Dubón spent part of his first day in Houston Astros camp working at second base, taking ground balls and making double-play turns. The sight was not unusual for the club’s most versatile defender. But it came at the position he could man more frequently this season.

The Astros will explore playing Jose Altuve, their second baseman since his debut in 2011 and franchise player, in left field at least part time this spring. If that occurs, Dubón is a leading candidate to see more time at second base, a point manager Joe Espada reiterated Saturday.

Team officials have not committed to any plan for Altuve, who began working in left field this offseason and will continue in spring training. General manager Dana Brown has also said Dubón, the Astros’ super-utilityman, could slot in at second base should the team use Altuve in the outfield.

“I haven’t had any discussions with anybody,” Dubón said Saturday. “If Jose goes to left, I would love the opportunity. I was able to do it in ’23 and … I think I did a pretty good job in that situation. I want to play. I want to play anywhere. As long as I’m out there every day, I’m happy.”

After Altuve sustained a fractured thumb in March 2023, Dubón served as the Astros’ everyday second baseman for the first two months of the season. He won the AL utility Gold Glove that year buoyed by his defense at second, where he accrued plus-5 runs saved in 616 2/3 innings, per Sports Info Solutions.

Dubón has rated plus-9 runs saved in part-time duty at second base over the last three seasons. Altuve’s declining metrics in that same span are one reason Houston is considering him in left field, along with a desire to limit Yordan Alvarez’s playing time there and a need for offensive production from its outfield.

“I think it’s a way to keep Yordan healthy, Jose healthy for the next couple of years,” Espada said earlier this week. “So we’re looking at all these combinations to see where it takes us. But we do (consider) what’s the best team we can put on the field. It creates opportunity for Dubón at second base, where we know he’s pretty elite there. That’s why we’re exploring all these areas.”

Dubón logged a career-high 137 games last year, appearing at seven defensive positions. He totaled more at-bats and defensive innings in 2023, though, when he compiled a .278/.309/.411 slash line and a 97 OPS-plus. After slugging 50 points lower last season, Dubón reported to camp a bit bulkier, noting he did the same before the ’23 season and “ended up driving the ball a little bit more.”

The Astros are scheduled to hold their first full-squad workout Tuesday. Perhaps no teammate has a better sense of the adjustment Altuve may face this spring than Dubón, who has totaled 513 innings in left field for Houston. Altuve, 34, has never played a professional inning in the outfield. If that changes, Dubón said he believes Altuve will be equipped to handle the move.

“He’s an athlete,” Dubón said. “People don’t realize how good he moves and everything. … Sometimes you make it look easy; it’s not that easy. It’s hard catching ground balls and then the next (day) you have to go to the outfield. But out of all people, (Altuve) can do it.”