Houston Astros star Jose Altuve will make his spring training debut Friday — and he’ll do it in left field, manager Joe Espada told reporters Wednesday.

Following the offseason trade of All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs, the Astros have an opening in left field — and Altuve, a career second baseman, has said he will play anywhere on the field that he’s needed.

Altuve, who turns 35 in May, has played 1,766 games at second base and two at shortstop, never manning the outfield during his 14 seasons in the majors. A nine-time All-Star and former American League MVP, he won the Gold Glove at second base in 2015.

Altuve’s defensive stats at second base have slipped in recent seasons, however. In the past three seasons, he has registered a minus-15 defensive runs saved and two campaigns of minus-13.

The seven-time Silver Slugger hasn’t dropped off offensively, though. The three-time AL batting champion has averages of .300, .311 and .295 during that span.

Espada told reporters Tuesday that Altuve is doing well in his transition to left field.

“He’s actually been pretty good out there,” Espada said. “One thing, it’s practice and we can control the environment and the volume, but once the game starts he’ll be tested and we’ll get a better read of where he’s at. Right now, the attitude is exactly what we’re expecting and the work has been pretty good.”

Mauricio Dubon currently sits atop the depth chart at second base, but he is being challenged by Brendan Rodgers and Luis Guillorme.

The Astros will face the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Field Level Media contributed to this report.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani will make his first spring training appearance of the year Friday night against his old team, the Angels.

Ohtani, 30, will be the designated hitter. Roberts has not given a timetable for Ohtani’s return to the pitcher’s mound other than to say he hopes it would be “sooner than later.” Roberts has ruled Ohtani out for the March 18-19 season-opening series in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs.

Ohtani injured his left shoulder sliding into second base during the World Series, when the Dodgers beat the New York Yankees in five games. He did not pitch last season, his first with the Dodgers, while recovering from surgery to repair a ligament in his throwing elbow.

Playing exclusively as a batter, he hit 54 home runs with 59 stolen bases — the first person in the major league 50/50 club — and won his third unanimous MVP award.

As a pitcher, Ohtani is 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA, including a 10-5 record and 3.14 ERA in 2023 before he was injured that August.

Oklahoma has hired Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy to be its football general manager.

Since 2018, Nagy had run the Senior Bowl, the annual postseason college all-star game in Mobile, Alabama. He will now lead the Sooners’ roster building, player evaluation, recruiting and compensations operations alongside coach Brent Venables.

“This is a new era in intercollegiate athletics at one of the greatest college football programs in the country,” Nagy said in a statement. “The legacy of excellence that precedes my arrival is a testament to the leadership at OU and the university’s commitment to execute at a championship level. I am honored to bring my experience and work ethic to this program and am confident that through collaboration and effort, we can achieve excellent results.”

In December, the New York Jets interviewed Nagy for their vacant general manager job before hiring Darren Mougey.

Prior to the Senior Bowl, Nagy worked as an NFL scout for almost two decades for the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, New England Patriots and Washington Commanders.

Nagy replaces former OU linebacker Curtis Lofton, who stepped down as the Sooners’ general manager last month.

“Nagy’s high-caliber, extensive experience in scouting, recruiting, and retaining top talent will pay dividends across our roster and ultimately on the field,” Venables said.

The Sooners are entering their fourth season under Venables and second as a member of the SEC.

OU finished 6-7, including 2-6 in the conference, in its first year in the SEC.