Astros predicted to trade Isaac Paredes for Shohei Ohtani’s $90M, 4-time All-Star teammate originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Houston Astros may face an Opening Day dilemma with one of their key players sidelined due to injury. Infielder Jeremy Peña suffered a fingertip injury before the start of the World Baseball Classic. While the recovery timeline isn’t long, there is currently no definitive date for his return.

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“Houston Astros All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña was diagnosed with a fracture in the tip of his right ring finger and will be reevaluated in two weeks, the team announced Thursday. Peña will miss the World Baseball Classic after the fracture was discovered during an exam by a hand specialist Thursday. His availability for the Astros’ Opening Day matchup against the Angels might also be in jeopardy,” ESPN wrote.

Once Peña returns, the Astros could look to make a trade, as they have been exploring ways to move Isaac Paredes.

“This has felt inevitable for months now, and maybe Yoshida catching fire in Tokyo is finally enough to get it over the finish line. Paredes might have a path to playing time now that Jeremy Peña has been sidelined by a fractured finger, but that doesn’t seem like it’ll hold him out too long, and when he returns, Houston will be once again stuck with too many right-handed hitters and too many infielders/DH types to play at one time. His swing and approach are tailor-made for Fenway, and he can toggle through a number of different lineup spots even if Durbin makes third base his own,” FanSided’s Chris Landers wrote.

Meanwhile, Yoshida is aiming for a bounce-back season and has acknowledged it during the offseason.

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“Now that I have three years under my belt, to be honest with you guys, these three years weren’t what I expected, so I’ll leave it at that,” Yoshida told The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey through an interpreter.

Yoshida is currently excelling in the WBC for Team Japan, putting up impressive hitting numbers. His performance has significantly increased his value as a potential trade piece for the Astros.

With the Boston Red Sox having missed out on Alex Bregman, third base could be open for Paredes if a trade occurs. Yoshida’s standout showing in the WBC is helping drive up his market, which could make him an attractive acquisition for Boston.

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