The Astros got a little relief on the Jeremy Peña front, even if the shortstop is still dealing with the fallout from a painful night against the Angels.
Peña was drilled on the hand by a 100 mph sinker from Los Angeles starter Walbert Urena, and the sequence got worse when he was ruled out on the pitch after going too far in his swing. He stayed in the game defensively, but when his next at-bat came around, Nick Allen took over.
Houston listed the injury as a left-hand contusion, and the latest update at least keeps the door open for a short absence instead of something more serious. According to Chandler Rome of The Athletic on X (formerly Twitter), Peña had an MRI on Thursday that showed no structural damage in his right hand. He’s still sore, but Joe Espada said the club is optimistic he won’t need an IL stint.
The Astros still made a move to cover themselves. They called up Raynel Delgado from Triple-A Sugar Land and designated outfielder Nelson Velasquez for assignment to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Delgado has appeared in 17 games for Houston this season, hitting .273 with one home run and four RBIs.
That gives Houston another option while Peña gets right, and Delgado could provide some bench pop if needed. If Peña’s symptoms worsen, though, the Astros may have to place him on the IL to make sure he’s in better shape for a possible playoff push.
Houston enters the series finale against the Angels at 64-63, with its AL West lead getting thinner by the day. The division race remains crowded, with the Rangers and Mariners both making late pushes. After wrapping up this set in Los Angeles, the Astros will stay at Daikin Park for another division matchup, this time against the Athletics.
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The bullpen has done its part and kept the Astros afloat, but that only goes so far when the rotation is fighting uphill and the offense is not supplying much margin. The move from Spencer Arrighetti to Daulton Varsho was supposed to address a need, yet Varsho has struggled offensively since the trade, leaving the club still searching for answers in the middle of a division race that now feels less secure than it did a few weeks ago. [Read more 🡒]