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During the Houston Astros' game against the Chicago Cubs, Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña was hit by a pitch during the early goings of the game. He stayed in briefly, but was later taken out of the game due to left rib soreness. With the concern surrounding Peña's injury, the Astros got some positive news after the game.
According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic on Twitter/X, the Astros got some good news on Peña's injury. Joe Espada said that Peña is feeling "sore," but most importantly, there is no fracture in his ribs after he underwent imaging.
Jeremy Peña is “sore,” Joe Espada said, but does not have any fractures in his ribs after undergoing imaging.
— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) June 28, 2025This is a sigh of relief, as Peña has been one of the Astros' best players this season, and a lengthy injury would've been a huge blow to the Astros and Peña. Fortunately, while the full extent of the injury isn't known, no fractures is a great update, as that would've knocked him out for some time.
In 2025, Peña is having a "breakout" season. While he's already become an incredible player, earning a Gold Glove and World Series MVP in his rookie season, in 2025, he's breaking out as one of the game's premier shortstops.
Across his 82 games played for the Astros this season, Peña has 102 hits, 48 runs scored, 18 doubles, one triple, 11 home runs, 40 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, 20 walks, 10 hit-by-pitches, and 55 strikeouts. Since his debut in 2022, Peña has been one of the better shortstops in the league, but he hasn't emerged as a massive offensive threat.
But this season, Peña has been incredible at the plate. His 143 OPS+ is by far the highest of his career. He also has splits of .322/.378/.489, all of which would be career highs by a significant margin. Peña's OPS is at .867; his previous career high was a .715 in his rookie season.
That's why Peña, despite already being one of the better shortstops in the game, is breaking out this season. Not only is he a good defender, but this season, Peña's proving to be an elite offensive weapon as well.
While this injury was a scare, and he could still miss some time, it's a much better outcome than if he had fractured his ribs. That kind of injury would've had Peña out for a while. Instead, he might not even land on the injured list. This update from Espada is good news and might indicate that Peña won't miss too much time, if any at all.
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