Astros place Jeremy Peña on injured list with rib fracture
Shortstop Jeremy Peña, the Astros' leadoff man and leader in almost every offensive category, will be placed on the injured list with what the team described as a small fracture on the left side of his ribs.
Peña exited Friday's 7-4 win against the Chicago Cubs after being hit by an 89 mph changeup on his left side. After the game, manager Joe Espada said Peña underwent imaging that did not reveal a fracture.
Peña could not play on Saturday or Sunday, prompting the team to seek more tests. An MRI and CT scan taken on Sunday revealed the fracture, according to a team announcement.
The team did not disclose a timetable for Peña's return, nor did it announce a corresponding move for his roster spot. Infielders on the 40-man roster include Shay Whitcomb and Zack Short.
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Peña's stint on the injured list will be retroactive to June 28, meaning the earliest he is eligible to return is a July 8 game against the Cleveland Guardians at Daikin Park.
Houston will open a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday at Coors Field.
Losing Peña for any length of time is a substantial blow to a lineup already struggling to score. Only 10 teams in baseball entered Monday with fewer runs scored than the 350 Houston has produced.
Peña has driven in 40 of them, part of a prolific season that has placed him back among baseball's elite. Only Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Shohei Ohtani entered Monday worth more wins above replacement than Peña, according to FanGraphs.
Houston is 34-20 since Espada moved Peña atop the batting order on April 28, a stretch in which Peña is slashing .352/.402/.534. Peña leads the Astros in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, hits and stolen bases.
Playing without him will provide the toughest test yet for a team already decimated by injuries. Slugger Yordan Alvarez hasn't appeared in a game since May 2, while two members of Houston's season-opening starting rotation have already undergone Tommy John surgery.
Alvarez, like Peña, is dealing with a fracture that Houston's medical staff initially did not diagnose. For about a month, the team maintained Alvarez had a 'muscle strain' at the top of his right hand before subsequent imaging revealed a fracture.
Jacob Melton, Zach Dezenzo, Brendan Rodgers and Chas McCormick all remain on the injured list, too, robbing the team of what little position player depth it had when the season began.
Mauricio Dubón, the American League's utility Gold Glove winner in 2023, is the most likely candidate to play shortstop in Peña's absence. Dubón started there on Saturday and Sunday in Peña's stead and should receive ample runway to play the position prior to the All-Star break.
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Reimagining the lineup is a far more arduous task. Peña is one of the few sources of power and consistency in a top-heavy offense, shifting the onus to Isaac Paredes, Cam Smith and Jose Altuve to pick up the slack.
How Espada configures his batting order is another matter. He could move Altuve back into the leadoff spot or stick with Paredes, who hit first on Saturday and Sunday while Peña was out.
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