The Houston Astros confirmed on Monday that shortstop Jeremy Peña, who has a fractured left rib, will be placed on the 10-day injured list.
The 27-year-old Peña was struck by a pitch from Cade Horton in the second inning of Friday’s 7-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs, resulting in the injury. He remained in the game until the fifth inning when he was replaced by a pinch hitter.
Friday’s x-rays did not show the fracture. However, Sunday’s CT and MRI scans showed the injuries. During the team’s six-game road trip, Peña will remain with the team to receive medical attention.
Another Blow for the Astros as Jeremy Peña Goes on IL
Despite injuries to designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, outfielder Chas McCormick, second baseman Brendan Rodgers, and pitchers Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier, the Astros have the second-best record in the American League at 50-34.
Astros’ general manager recently commented on when they can expect Peña. As per MLB.com, Dana Brown said, “If he feels like he’s fine after a week, we’ll start some baseball activity. We can give him some things to do, and he might be able to play through it as it heals.
“This isn’t one of those things where you have to be sidelined the whole time. Once the inflammation goes down, he might feel good enough to swing a bat. It’s more how much can he tolerate, which means he could come back soon after the 10 days.
That’s why he’s on the trip, to get treatment and maybe, potentially get back as soon as he can.” He added.
Story on Peña headed to the IL with quotes from Dana Brown.
“This isn’t one of those things where you have to be sidelined the whole time. Once the inflammation goes down, he might feel good enough to swing a bat.” https://t.co/ih2G09Jpcf
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) June 30, 2025
Replacing Peña will be tough, as the MVP candidate is batting .322 with 11 home runs, 40 RBI, 48 runs scored, and 15 stolen bases with an .867 OPS. He currently ranks second in the Majors in WAR (5.2), per STATS.
The Astros, with the third-best record in baseball, now have fourteen players on their major league injured list. Two players in Houston’s season-opening starting rotation have already had Tommy John surgery, and slugger Yordan Alvarez hasn’t played since May 2.
Like Peña, Alvarez is coping with a fracture that was initially misdiagnosed by Houston’s medical professionals. Before further imaging showed a fracture, the team believed Alvarez had a “muscle strain” at the top of his right hand for almost a month.
In Peña’s absence, the most likely player to start at shortstop is Mauricio Dubón, the 2023 American League utility Gold Glove winner.
The earliest Peña may return is on July 8 at Daikin Park against the Cleveland Guardians, as his time on the injured list will be retroactive to June 28. On Tuesday, Houston will play the Colorado Rockies in the first game of a three-game series at Coors Field.