The Houston Astros are hoping to be fairly healthy when Opening Day approaches, and it looks like they'll be able to achieve that goal with the recent news. Jeremy Pena's status for Opening Day was up in the air after he suffered a fractured finger earlier in March. That concern has gone out the window, as he's set to play, according to Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle.
“Jeremy Peña will make the Astros’ opening day roster,” Kawahara wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
Pena recently noted that the biggest concern wasn't his finger, but it was feeling comfortable when it's time to step up on the plate.
“I feel like right now the concern is not the finger. The finger feels good to go. It’s a matter of getting at-bats and feeling game-ready,” Pena said.
In his latest spring training game against the St. Louis Cardinals, he was 1-for-4 with a home run, and afterwards said he felt a lot better than expected timing-wise in his at-bats.
“I went up there the first three at-bats, obviously, didn’t get the results I wanted, but I felt competitive at the plate, and I felt strong,” Pena said. “I felt like I was recognizing pitches. Overall, I would say it’s a win.”
That's good news for the Astros, and that means Pena should be able to make an impact against the Los Angeles Angels on Opening Day. There are high expectations for the team coming into the season, and having Pena should help them have a good year.
