Three days after Jeremy Pena was hit by a pitch on Friday, the Houston Astros placed him on the injured list with a small fracture in one of his ribs. Speaking to the media on Tuesday before the Astros took on the Colorado Rockies in Denver, Pena explained what's next as he works to get back on the field.

“Right now we’re just doing some treatment,” he said in a video posted by MLB.com's Brian McTaggert. “I could probably do some stuff moving around, but we’re gonna give it some rest and make sure that it’s not gonna send me back.”

Pena was hesitant to put a timeline on his return, knowing that once he is able to start testing the rib, he'll have a better idea of how long it will take him to get back. It's frustrating for someone having the best season of his career so far, but he did not seem worried.

“It’s unfortunate but we’re gonna take it day by day,” he said. “I don’t feel too bad, I don’t think it’s something too serious.”

While Pena is out, the first-place Astros will be missing a .322 hitter who has 11 home runs and an .867 OPS  through 82 games. He also has a 146 wRC+ and career-low 15.7 percent strikeout rate.

Jeremy Pena is confident Astros can win through his injury

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (3) bats in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Daikin Park.
Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Pena's injury comes with the Astros 50-34 and up six games in the American League West. But after their series ends with the Rockies, they visit Los Angeles to play the defending World Champion Dodgers before returning home to play the Cleveland Guardians and Texas Rangers.

Pena expressed confidence in his team being able to weather his absence.

“The team’s in a great position,” he said. “We have guys that, they come up from Triple-A and they contribute right away, so I’m not worried in that aspect. Of course I want to be out there. Of course I want to be playing. But I want to be feeling 100 percent if I’m going to go out there and play.”

It's not the worst part of the schedule for Pena to have to sit out. Other than the three games against the Dodgers, Houston is in a stretch of games against sub-.500 teams, leading into the All-Star break, which will give them an additional four days off. It's still likely the Astros will begin the second half in first place.

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