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Jeremy Peña was putting together the best season of his career when he landed on the injured list with a rib fracture. Peña was hit by a pitch and forced to exit the Houston Astros’ win over the Chicago Cubs on June 27. The Gold Glove-winning shortstop landed on the 10-day IL three days later. But the Astros’ star received a positive update Friday.
After being shut down, Peña is now increasing his weight room work and participating “somewhat [in] baseball activities,” according to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart. It wasn’t immediately clear what activities Peña had begun or when he’d be cleared for full participation.
The Astros hope Jeremy Peña resumes breakout season soon
Peña was plunked by Cubs’ starter Cade Horton in late June, causing the fracture. Immediately following the rib ailment, Astros manager Joe Espada downplayed the injury. However, Peña continued to sit out with soreness and Houston ultimately decided to move him to the IL.
Peña was shut down from baseball activities as the Astros believed rest was the best course of action. A timeline was not provided for his return but Houston didn’t expect to be without its best hitter for very long.
Peña has been sensational this season. The fourth-year pro is slashing .322/.378/.489 with 11 home runs, 40 RBI, 48 runs scored, a 141 OPS+ and 4.6 bWAR in 82 games. He’s on pace to obliterate his previous career-high of 5.0 bWAR from his rookie season.
In addition to his excellent offensive production, Peña has continued to play Gold Glove-caliber defense for the Astros. The breakout campaign led to his first All-Star Game selection. And he hopes it results in a long term extension. To that end, Peña changed agents this season, tapping Scott Boras to handle his upcoming arbitration after this season.
The Astros went 11-2 in a 13-game hot streak before getting swept by the Cleveland Guardians. But despite the three-game skid, the second-place Seattle Mariners couldn’t make up any ground in the division as they were swept by the New York Yankees. The Astros remain seven games ahead of Seattle in the AL West.
