Who Is Jose Altuve's Wife, Nina Altuve?

As the Houston Astros prepare for the World Series, second baseman Jose Altuve is making history — but probably not the kind you're thinking. At a height of 5'6", Altuve is one of the shortest players in the league, let alone the playoffs. According to Sporting News, he and Tony Kemp of the Oakland Athletics are tied as the shortest players to appear this season, and the two of them are tied with four others as the shortest players this century. Altuve is also tied with Billy Gilbert — whose last game was more than 100 years ago — as the shortest player to come up to bat in a playoff game.

While many women may be hesitant to date a man shorter than 6 feet, Altuve's wife Nina does not seem to be one of them. Players Bio reports that she stands at 5'4", making her just two inches shorter than her husband. At least that makes them easy to photograph! 

So what else is there to know about Nina Altuve?

Nina Altuve is 29 years old and was born and raised in Venezuela, per The Focus. In fact, she and Jose Altuve were actually high school sweethearts who began dating as teens and got married in November 2006, when she was just 14 years old and Jose was only 16. Ten years later, they had their first child, Melanie Andrea. She also has a Bachelor's degree in bioanalytics from the University of Carabobo in Venezuela, though she currently appears to be a stay-at-home mom. And with a husband worth roughly $20 million, she certainly doesn't have to work.

In 2020, Nina gave birth to the couple's second daughter. With the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing at the time, the pregnancy and birth presented a whole bunch of new challenges for the entire family. Jose diligently followed the stay-at-home orders, telling the Houston Chronicle he did not leave home "in probably months" to protect his wife and unborn baby. In fact, Jose was unsure if he would even return to the Astros if it meant jeopardizing his family's health. "... [my wife and kids] don't qualify for the high risk percentage of people," he said. "That's why I decided to join my team."

During her time as a baseball wife, Nina Altuve has gotten involved in philanthropy. The Houston Chronicle reports that she and Jose Altuve donated 60,000 meals to Kids Meals, Inc. in April 2020.

Around that same time, the Altuves moved into a new home in Houston. "... we spent several years looking for a new house," they told the Houston Chronicle. "The first time we saw this one, we fell in love," he said of their spacious mansion in Houston's Memorial neighborhood. "My wife is really happy with the house, and so am I." Nina actually worked with the builder's wife, Nina Magon, to turn one of the spare guest rooms into a playroom for the couple's daughters. The room is complete with pastel polka-dot wallpaper, a striped carpet, light fixtures reminiscent of clouds, and "a loft that feels like a secret, life-size dollhouse." The carpet is actually composed of carpet tiles, making it easy to replace in the event of damage. Clearly, this is one hands-on couple!