Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña was removed from an exhibition game in the Dominican Republic after three innings due to a precautionary measure following a play that appeared to affect his right hand. General manager Dana Brown indicated that X-rays would provide more clarity the next day. The injury's impact on Peña's participation in the upcoming World Baseball Classic remains uncertain.
In Santo Domingo, D.R., Astros All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña started at shortstop for the Dominican Republic team during Wednesday's exhibition game against the Detroit Tigers. In the third inning, Peña fielded a hard-hit ground ball from Tigers outfielder Wenceel Pérez behind second base and threw to first for the out. Video showed Peña looking uncomfortably at his right hand several times after the play, though he remained in the game and struck out in the bottom of the third before being pulled.
Astros general manager Dana Brown explained the situation: “He was fielding a ground ball, and the ball took a hop off the bag and hit his fingertip.” Brown added, “We’ll know more tomorrow [when] we get some X-rays.”
Peña had left the Astros' spring training camp in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday to join the Dominican team in Miami for preparations ahead of the World Baseball Classic. Born in the Dominican Republic but raised in Rhode Island, this would have been Peña's first appearance in the tournament. The Dominican Republic is placed in Pool D in Miami, with group play beginning Friday against Nicaragua, followed by matchups on Sunday versus the Netherlands, Monday against Israel, and Wednesday versus Venezuela.
The Astros have only three players in the WBC this year: Peña, Zach Dezenzo for Italy, and Shay Whitcomb for Korea. Teammates Jose Altuve of Venezuela and Carlos Correa of Puerto Rico withdrew due to insurance concerns; Altuve had previously fractured his right thumb in the 2023 WBC, missing the first 43 games of that season.
Peña, the 2022 World Series MVP, earned his first All-Star selection in 2025 and was named the Astros' club MVP after batting .304/.363/.477 with 17 home runs, 62 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases in 125 games, primarily as the leadoff hitter. However, injuries hampered his season, including a fractured rib that sidelined him for July and a strained left oblique that kept him out the final week, contributing to Houston's one-game miss of the playoffs after eight straight postseason appearances.
Houston has been exploring trades for infielder Isaac Paredes during the offseason and spring training to address infield depth. Paredes started at third base last season but missed time due to a severe right hamstring strain in July.
