Pena went 3-for-4 in Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Mariners.
All three of Pena's hits were singles. The shortstop had endured a sophomore slump for part of the campaign, but he's hitting .297 (27-for-91) in September. That's lifted his season batting average to .264 with a .707 OPS, 10 home runs, 13 stolen bases, 51 RBI and 81 runs scored over 146 contests. He's locked in for a starting role, though he still hits in the bottom third of the lineup regularly.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Records two steals
Rotowire
Pena went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Royals.
Pena had gone nearly a whole month since his last steal Aug. 25. In the 24 games between thefts, he hit .316 (31-for-98) with 10 extra-base hits, eight RBI and 20 runs scored. The second-year shortstop hasn't matched his power output from 2022, but his walk rate and on-base percentage have risen while his strikeout rate has decreased, indicating a better approach at the plate. For the year, Pena has a .262/.323/.383 slash line with 10 home runs, 13 steals, 51 RBI and 81 runs scored over 143 contests.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Hitting well in September
Rotowire
Pena went 1-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI on Monday against the Orioles.
Pena delivered an RBI single in the sixth inning and later came around to score in the same frame, a continuation of his positive performance in September. He has yet to go deep but has hit .292 with three RBI and 13 runs scored across 16 games for the month. Overall, Pena has shown improved plate discipline as compared to his rookie season, though he's seen a disappointing dip in power -- highlighted by a drip in his ISO from .173 to .123.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Records five hits in blowout
Rotowire
Pena went 5-for-6 with a triple, a double and three RBI in Sunday's 17-4 win over the Tigers.
Pena began his day with a double and also tripled home three runs in the eighth. He's enjoying his best month of the season at the plate, slashing .333/.426/.425 with seven RBI, 15 runs and a 13:18 BB:K in 24 games. Pena has not been able to replicate the same power he showcased his rookie season with just 10 home runs compared to the 22 he hit last year. Sunday was his first game with multiple extra base hits since June 9 and his first game with multiple RBI since he had four July 29.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Swipes 11th bag
Rotowire
Pena went 0-for-1 with a walk and a stolen base Friday against the Tigers.
Pena had an unconventional but still productive game, as he reached base on catcher interference and an error in addition to his walk. That gave him the opportunity to swipe his 11th base of the season, matching his total from 2022. Pena has maintained a .299 batting average across 22 games in August, but he has only five extra-base hits and no home runs in that span.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Gets breather Sunday
Rotowire
Pena isn't in the Astros' lineup Sunday against the Angels, Brian McTaggart of MLB.com reports.
Pena has been red-hot at the plate lately, slashing .333/.447/.385 in 47 plate appearances since the start of August. He'll get a day to rest Sunday while Grae Kessinger starts at shortstop and bats eighth.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Heating up
Rotowire
Pena went 3-for-4 with one double, one RBI and two runs scored in Friday's victory over the Angels.
Pena has been demoted to the bottom third of the Astros lineup in five of his last six games, but this performance marks his fourth multi-hit effort in his last 10 games. After bottoming out with a .205 average and only one home run in July, Pena has responded with 12 hits and seven walks in 43 plate appearances thus far in August. His glove keeps him in the lineup, and continued production like this will help return him to the top of a potent Astros lineup.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Piling up multi-hit games
Rotowire
Pena went 2-for-2 with two walks and a run scored Tuesday against the Guardians.
Pena tallied his fourth multi-hit performance in his last six starts, and he's also worked four free passes in that span. He had a dreadful July during which he hit just .205, but he appears to be coming out of the prolonged slump. Pena still has only a .679 OPS on the season, primarily because he has a disappointing 10 home runs across 409 plate appearances.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Lacking signs of improvement
Rotowire
Pena went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a stolen base Friday against the Rays.
Pena enjoyed a productive game, nabbing his 10th stolen base of the season and second since the return from the All-Star break. Despite hitting second in the order in seven of the team's last nine games, he has also shown few signs of improvement at the plate by hitting .206 with only two RBI and four runs scored in that span. Pena has had a disappointing season overall, as he's maintained only an 82 wRC+ and .289 wOBA across 391 plate appearances for the campaign.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Back in lineup Tuesday
Rotowire
Astros manager Dusty Baker said in an interview on SportsTalk 790 in Houston on Tuesday that Pena (hamstring) will be back in the lineup for Tuesday's game in Colorado.
A hamstring cramp necessitated Pena's removal from Saturday's game versus the Angels and he didn't play Sunday. However, it looks like the shortstop is good to go following Monday's off day.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Out of lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Pena (hamstring) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game against the Angels.
Pena left Saturday's game after appearing to tweak something during his at-bat in the 10th inning. Manager Dusty Baker confirmed after the game that it's a hamstring issue for Pena, though he was optimistic that it was just a cramp, per Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Grae Kessinger will get a turn at shortstop with Pena banged up.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Exits with apparent injury
Rotowire
Pena was removed from Saturday's game versus the Angels in the 10th inning with an apparent injury, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Pena looked to tweak something in the back of his right leg on a swing in the top of the 10th inning. He stayed in the game to finish his plate appearance but was removed for defense prior to the bottom of the frame. The Astros should have more on Pena's condition soon.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Homers in return
Rotowire
Pena went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Rockies.
Pena returned from a five-game absence caused by neck stiffness. He popped his 10th homer of the season but only his second across his last 26 games. In that same span, he has only six total extra-base hits with six RBI and 13 runs scored. Pena hasn't taken the step forward some had hoped for in his second season, but he's settled in to provide decent production across the board, as he has eight stolen bases and a combined 73 runs and RBI across 77 games on the campaign.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Starting Wednesday
Rotowire
Pena (neck) is starting at shortstop and batting eighth Wednesday versus the Rockies, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Pena will return to the lineup after a five-game absence with neck stiffness. He currently holds a five-game hit streak, batting .261 with a home run, three RBI and four runs scored over that stretch.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Still out Tuesday
Rotowire
Pena (neck) remains out of the lineup for Tuesday's tilt versus the Rockies, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.
Pena did take part of Jose Urquidy's (shoulder) live batting practice session pregame but will miss a fifth straight contest with neck tightness. It still seems likely that he'll be able to avoid a stint on the injured list. Mauricio Dubon will handle shortstop Tuesday.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Remains out Monday
Rotowire
Pena (neck) is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Rangers.
Pena will sit out for a fourth consecutive game while he continues to contend with neck tightness. Mauricio Dubon will fill in at shortstop for Pena and bat second in the series finale in Arlington. According to Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, Pena was spotted fielding grounders prior to Monday's contest, so the 25-year-old is still seemingly being viewed as day-to-day and could avoid a stint on the injured list.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Sitting again Sunday
Rotowire
Pena (neck) is not in the lineup for Sunday's game versus the Rangers, Chandler Rome of The Athleticreports.
Pena will sit for the third consecutive game as he continues to deal with neck stiffness. Mauricio Dubon will receive another start at shortstop for Houston.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Still out Saturday
Rotowire
Pena (neck) isn't in the Astros' lineup Saturday against the Rangers.
Neck stiffness kept Pena out of Friday's game, and it will cost him another start Saturday. While Pena continues to heal, Mauricio Dubon will fill in at shortstop and bat sixth.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Getting breather
Rotowire
Pena is absent from the lineup for Friday's game versus the Rangers, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
It appears to be a routine day of rest for Pena, who will put a modest five-game hitting streak on hold. Mauricio Dubon is getting the start at shortstop.
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Astros' Jeremy Pena: Reaching base consistently
Rotowire
Pena went 1-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base Wednesday against the Reds.
Pena reached base at least once for the ninth consecutive game. He's maintained a .324 average and .410 on-base percentage in that span, though he has only two extra-base hits and no home runs. Pena has maintained a near-identical line to his rookie season, though he has increased his stolen base output by swiping eight bags across the first 70 games of his campaign.
