Jeremy Pena has been extremely important for the 2022 Houston Astros.
He made the team out of camp, tasked with the responsibility of replacing franchise great Carlos Correa at shortstop.
Not only he has been able to fit into those shoes, but he has been even better than expected, which is a rarity for rookies.
Unfortunately, the Astros won’t be able to have Pena with them for at least the next 10 days.
“Astros have placed Jeremy Peña on the 10-day IL with left thumb discomfort. J.J. Matijevic recalled,” Astros reporter Julia Morales tweeted.
Astros have placed Jeremy Peña on the 10-day IL with left thumb discomfort. J.J. Matijevic recalled.
— Julia Morales (@JuliaMorales) June 15, 2022
The Astros’ front office doesn’t think the injury is too serious, but Pena will be on the shelf nevertheless, at least for a few days, to let his bothersome thumb heal.
An Early Favorite For Rookie Of The Year Honors In The AL
With a .277/.333/.471 line, nine homers, six steals, and 27 RBI, Pena is the early favorite for Rookie of the Year honors in the American League.
Aledmys Diaz is expected to get most of the reps at shortstop with Pena out.
The Astros will certainly miss him, as he is fourth among all shortstops in baseball with a 2.5 WAR output.
WAR means Wins Above Replacement and is a stat that considers all offensive, defensive, and baserunning contributions from a player.
Pena is not only a budding star with the bat, but he also has an incredible glove and is fast enough to take some bags, too.
He is expected to be the Astros’ shortstop for years to come.
The hope around the organization is that he doesn’t have to miss too much time and his performance isn’t affected negatively by the thumb injury.
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