Astros All-Star, World Series champion, out of WBC with freak injury

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña suffered a small fracture in one of his fingers Wednesday after it was struck by a ground ball that took a bad hop. He will reportedly undergo an MRI on Friday.

Regardless of the MRI results, Peña will miss at least the first round of World Baseball Classic competition with the Dominican Republic, according to journalist Dionisio Soldevila on X.

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Peña, 28, was an All-Star for the Astros in 2025, when he slashed .304/.363/.477 in 125 games. His .840 OPS (132 OPS+) was easily the best of his four-year MLB career.

According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, the Astros hope to have an update on Peña Thursday. Astros GM Dana Brown described Peña’s removal as “precautionary.”

The injury is more of a setback to the Dominican Republic than to the Astros, who won’t play a game that counts for weeks. The Dominicans were counting on Peña to play an integral role in the 12-day international tournament.

Fortunately, the Dominicans are particularly stacked on the left side of their infield. Manny Machado, Geraldo Perdomo, and Junior Caminero are All-Stars. Amed Rosario is a versatile veteran backup.

Peña was nonetheless on a short list of the best players on any roster in the WBC. While time is of the essence for him to take the field for the Dominican Republic, the Astros would likely prefer he take it easy and let his talented countrymen shoulder the burden for the next couple weeks.

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