Astros' Jeremy Pena: Leads offense in Friday's win
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Pena went 2-for-5 with a double, a home run and four RBI in Friday's 10-7 win over the Orioles.
The shortstop took Cade Povich deep for a three-run shot in the third inning as part of a four-run frame that gave the Astros a lead they would never relinquish. Pena has 14 long balls on the season, with three of them coming in his last 12 games, but he's otherwise struggled to build any momentum over that stretch, managing a .213/.288/.447 slash line with two steals, four runs and six RBI.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Still out Saturday
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Pena (illness) isn't in the starting lineup Saturday against Baltimore, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Pena didn't start Friday due to an illness, and he's going to begin on the bench for at least an additional day. It's not clear if the star shortstop is available off the bench. Mauricio Dubon is getting another start at shortstop in Pena's stead.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Under the weather Friday
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Manager Joe Espada said Pena, who is out of the lineup for Friday's game against Baltimore, is feeling under the weather and is getting some tests done, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
It's more than just a night off for Pena, who looks to be battling some sort of sickness. He should be considered day-to-day until more information is presented. Mauricio Dubon is playing shortstop Friday.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Receiving Friday off
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Pena is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the Orioles, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Pena is receiving more regular days off since returning from his hamstring injury at the start of August, with Friday being his third rest day. The 27-year-old is batting .289 (13-for-45) with two doubles, a triple, two homers and two steals in 11 games since being reinstated from the injured list.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Pops 13th homer
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Pena went 1-for-4 with a solo home run Wednesday against the Red Sox.
Pena led off the home half of the first inning with his 13th home run of the season and second since he was activated from the injured list at the start of August. In 11 games since his return, he's also chipped in five RBI, four runs scored and two stolen bases while hitting .289.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: First homer since return
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Pena went 1-for-4 with a walk and a solo home run in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Yankees.
The shortstop led off the game by ripping a Luis Gil fastball down the left-field line. It was Pena's 12th homer of the season, and his first in seven games since returning from a rib injury at the beginning of August. On the month, he's batting .296 (8-for-27), with half his knocks going for extra bases.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Rips pair of doubles in win
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Pena went 2-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, one RBI and a run scored in Monday's 8-2 win at Miami.
The Houston shortstop occupied his usual leadoff spot and cracked a couple of two-baggers off Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara to reach the 20-double mark for the fourth consecutive season. Since returning from a rib injury Aug. 1, Pena has gone 5-for-13 across three contests. Through 85 total games and 364 plate appearances, the 27-year-old is now slashing .324/.380/.491 with 11 homers, 49 runs scored and 41 RBI while going 15-for-17 on steal attempts.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Re-enters starting nine
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Pena (hamstring) will start at shortstop and bat leadoff in Sunday's game against the Red Sox, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pena missed more than a month due to a small rib fracture before returning from the injured list Friday, only to exit the Astros' series-opening loss to the Red Sox early due to a right hamstring cramp. Fortunately for Pena, the setback appears to be a minor one, as he'll be back in action Sunday. After filling in at shortstop Saturday, the newly acquired Carlos Correa will shift back over to third base.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Sitting out Saturday
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Pena (hamstring) isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Red Sox, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Pena was pulled early from Friday's game after experiencing hamstring cramps during his at-bat in the 10th inning, and the Astros will give him an extra day to recover Saturday. Carlos Correa will shift to shortstop to cover for Pena, opening up third base for Ramon Urias.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Battling hamstring cramps
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Pena was removed from Friday's game against the Red Sox due to a right hamstring cramp, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Pena felt his hamstring cramp up on him during his at-bat in the 10th inning, causing him to not come out on defense for the bottom of the frame. The Astros have yet to determine the severity of his injury, though they may sit him down for a day or two as a precaution. Ramon Urias figures to be the next man up to start at shortstop if Pena ends up missing time.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Activated from IL
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The Astros activated Pena (ribs) from the 10-day injured list Friday, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Pena missed the entire month of July and hasn't been in the Astros' lineup since June 27. Following the addition of Carlos Correa, Pena will stick at shortstop for Houston, with Correa taking up third base. Getting both players, along with Jesus Sanchez, will be a big boost to the lineup. Pena is slashing .322/.378/.489 with 11 home runs, 40 RBI, 48 runs scored, 15 stolen bases and a 20:55 BB:K across 350 plate appearances this season.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Back with team, could return soon
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Pena (rib) returned to Houston to work out with the Astros on Monday and could be activated from the 10-day injured list in the near future, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pena is back in Houston after he spent the weekend at the Astros' facility in Florida, where he faced off against live pitching. He will report to Triple-A Sugar Land on Tuesday to begin what will likely be a brief minor league rehab assignment, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. According to Sean O'Leary of SI.com, Houston general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that Pena could be activated as soon as Friday, when the Astros will open a three-game series in Boston.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Should return early in second half
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Astros general manager Dana Brown said Sunday that he doesn't expect Pena (ribs) to be activated from the injured list for the first game of the second half Friday in Seattle, but the shortstop's return shouldn't be far off, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Pena landed on the injured list in late June with a small rib fracture, but he recently resumed baseball activities by hitting in the batting cage and taking part in light on-field work. The big test for the shortstop will be throwing across the infield, but he's progressing well in his recovery thus far and could seemingly be back with the Astros before the end of July.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Begins baseball activities
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Pena (ribs) is ramping up work in the weight room and is participating in portions of baseball activities, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
It's unclear what baseball activities Pena has been cleared to partake in, but he's yet to resume full baseball activities. Still, it's an encouraging sign for Pena, as he pushes to make a return shortly after the All-Star break. In the meantime, Mauricio Dubon and Zack Short should handle most of the work at shortstop.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Could begin activities this weekend
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Astros general manager Dana Brown said that Pena (rib) could resume baseball activities this weekend, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Pena has been resting for the past few days after landing on the 10-day injured list Monday with a small rib fracture on his left side, but it sounds like he could start ramping things up soon. A timetable for the shortstop's return could become clearer after he advances in those activities.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Absence continuing Sunday
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Pena (ribs) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cubs, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Pena will sit for a second consecutive game, as he's still feeling sore after being hit by a pitch Friday. The 27-year-old shortstop will have Monday's team off day to aid in his recovery ahead of a trip to Coors Field beginning Tuesday. Mauricio Dubon will fill in at shortstop again Sunday.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Not in Saturday's lineup
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Pena (ribs) is not in the Astros' starting lineup against the Cubs on Saturday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pena was plunked in the ribs during Friday's win over the Cubs. X-rays came back negative, but he'll be absent from Saturday's starting nine and is considered day-to-day. Mauricio Dubon will start at shortstop and bat ninth.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Pair of extra-base hits
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Pena went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an RBI double and an additional run scored during Sunday's 8-7 win over the Angels.
Pena tagged Kyle Hendricks for a solo shot in the fifth inning, then plated Luis Guillorme on a double in the sixth. Pena has homered twice in his last three games, and he has 11 long balls on the season. In his last five games, Pena has gone 10-for-23 (.435) with six RBI and four runs.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Piling up multi-hit games
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Pena went 2-for-4 with a run scored in Thursday's 4-3 victory over the White Sox.
Pena keeps piling up multi-hit games, with Thursday's showing being his 24th of the campaign already. Seven of those have come in the month of June, and over his last 17 contests and 70 at-bats, the speedy shortstop is hitting .414 with three homers, six doubles, eight RBI, 13 runs scored and eight stolen bases.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Scores Astros' lone run
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Pena went 2-for-3 with a run scored and a stolen base during Sunday's 1-0 win over the Rays.
Pena was Houston's primary source of offense, accounting for two of the team's four hits and scoring the team's only run. The shortstop also swiped his 10th bag of the season, a milestone he's hit in all four of his MLB seasons. Pena is riding an eight-game hit streak, and he's batting 13-for-31 (.419) with three home runs and four stolen bases during that stretch.
