Jeremy Peña suffered a finger injury while representing the Dominican Republic earlier this week in preparation for the World Baseball Classic.
The game was between the Dominican Republic and the Detroit Tigers in Santo Domingo. He had to exit the game after three innings and was set to be re-evaluated to determine the severity of the injury.
He fielded a ground ball off the bat of Wenceel Pérez behind second base. He made the throw to first for the out, but after the play he looked down at his hand. The ball reportedly hit his fingernail, causing it to bleed.
He was able to stay in the game briefly and went up to bat, striking out in the bottom of the third. After that at-bat, he was removed from the game and had an X-ray.
After further evaluation, Peña’s injury has been confirmed as a fracture at the tip of his right ring finger. The healing timeline remains uncertain, but Peña and the Astros are aiming for him to be ready for Opening Day. There is, however, no guarantee he will be fully healed in time.
Peña will miss Team Dominican Republic’s upcoming World Baseball Classic games, including group play, which started yesterday in Miami, as his recovery becomes the top priority for both his country and Houston as the season approaches.
While it is unknown when Peña will be back on the field, the question now becomes: what happens if he is not ready to start Opening Day, and how will the Astros adjust their roster?
Peña is the star shortstop, but luckily for the Astros, they have depth and versatile players they can throw in the mix to keep the team competitive.
The first option would be Carlos Correa, though he was scratched from yesterday’s game against the Nationals due to neck stiffness. If Peña cannot start Opening Day, Correa is expected to move from third base to shortstop, giving Isaac Paredes an opportunity at third. If Correa is also unavailable, the Astros could turn to Nick Allen, a strong defensive player, or young prospect Brice Matthews, who has been showing serious potential during spring training.
While losing Peña for any amount of time is a blow for Houston, they have options. Between Correa, Allen, and Matthews, the Astros should be well-positioned to manage the position until Peña is back at full strength.