Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena hit a three-run home run in the ninth inning of Monday night's 8-3 loss to the Cardinals. He finished the night 1-for-4 with the blast that came off relief pitcher Roddery Munoz, giving him three long balls on the season. Pena is hitting just .207 through 16 games but has increased his ISO with four of his 12 hits going for extra bases. His hard-hit rate and barrel rate are actually up this season as well, but his .200 BABIP has held back his overall production. His xwOBA of .371 stands in stark contrast to his .291 wOBA, so his metrics show he has actually been hitting the ball much better than his batting average reflects. Pena and his fantasy managers will hope that Monday's home run can jumpstart a turnaround in his average as the Astros continue their three-game set in St. Louis.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena blasted a home run in the second inning of the Astros' 5-2 victory on Thursday over the Minnesota Twins. The home run was the second of the young season for Pena, as he is showing some power at the plate early on. The Astros were down by one run at the time, so the home run came at a good time. It tied the game up at two a piece and helped gain the momentum needed to run away with it a few innings later. It was Pena's only hit in the afternoon, as he went 1-for-4 and is underproducing thus far with a .130 batting average. Pena is a career .259 hitter, so fantasy managers should expect better days ahead for the Astros' shortstop. Pena will look to keep it rolling as the Astros finish up their series in Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday.

The Houston Chronicle's Matt Kawahara writes that Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena has been working on his plate discipline leading into the 2025 season and lowering his chase rate. In 1,842 regular-season plate appearances in his three years in the big leagues with Houston, Pena has only walked 90 times compared to 375 strikeouts in 443 games. He has still managed to be a productive shortstop for fantasy managers because of the volume, but he hasn't really been able to improve on his rookie season in 2022 in which he hit 22 home runs in 136 games. The 27-year-old Dominican did have a career-high 20 stolen bases last year and also cut down on his strikeout rate. If he's able to work more walks in 2025, he could give fantasy managers more help in the batting-average department. But with minimal power at the 6, Pena is ranked as the No. 19 fantasy shortstop at RotoBaller.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena and outfielder Jason Heyward will both start on the bench for Friday's series opener in Cleveland against the Guardians at Progressive Field. Grae Kessinger is starting at the 6 and batting ninth, while Mauricio Dubon is in left field and batting eighth against Guardians rookie left-hander Joey Cantillo. Pena doesn't sit often, as this is his first day off since Aug. 22. Kessinger made his big-league debut last year and played in 26 games, hitting .200 (8-for-40) with a homer and an RBI. He's only played in 20 games in 2024 and has gone hitless in 17 plate appearances with one walk and five strikeouts. DFS gamers should ignore him on Friday. Dubon, a super-utility man for the Astros, has very little DFS sleeper appeal at the bottom of the order with just four home runs and 47 RBI in 394 at-bats in 2024.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena will get the day off on Thursday in the series opener against the Baltimore Orioles at Camden Yards. Mauricio Dubon will start at shortstop for the Astros and will hit ninth against Orioles right-hander Corbin Burnes. In five career at-bats against Burnes, Dubon is hitting .200 with a home run and two RBI. He won't be a recommended DFS play on Thursday, though, in the tough matchup while residing at the bottom of the batting order. Pena has earned a much-needed day of rest, as this will be his first day off since June 21 and only his third day off of the season. The 26-year-old shortstop has been solid in the month of August for the first-place 'Stros, hitting .286 (20-for-70) with three home runs, three doubles, three stolen bases and nine RBI in 18 games played. He should be back in there on Friday.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena hit his 10th homer and stole his 13th base on Sunday, leading the Astros to a 10-2 win over the Boston Red Sox. Pena finished the day 3-for-5 and added a double, two runs, and two RBI. It was a nice day for the 26-year-old, but he's struggled mightily recently, slashing just .219/.286/.250 with no homers and no steals in August coming into tonight. It was actually his first homer and steal since July 23 when he had one of each as well. Although he provides some power and speed, his overall production doesn't quite make the cut in standard-size leagues. He can be a solid streamer and holds some value in deeper leagues.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena had a big game in his team's 8-2 loss to the Oakland A's on Tuesday. Pena went 3-for-4 with a double, a solo homer, and a steal in the losing effort. The 26-year-old infielder has been swinging a hot bat for the Astros of late, batting .385 with two homers over his past seven contests. Overall, Pena is hitting .282 with 17 doubles, nine homers, 49 runs, 44 RBI, and 12 steals across 380 at-bats. His blend of power and speed makes him a solid fantasy shortstop in deeper leagues.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena started July off right after a slow offensive June in Monday's 3-1 win over the Blue Jays. Pena went 1-for-3 with a solo home run. The 26-year-old crushed a fifth-inning Yariel Rodriguez hanging breaking ball into the left-field bullpen for his sixth long ball of the season. This was a welcome sight for fantasy managers, for while Pena's season stats look fine, he only hit .213 with five extra-base hits in June. Pena is now slashing .277/.320/.385 with 40 runs scored, 35 RBI, and 10 stolen bases in 340 plate appearances on the season. Fantasy managers shouldn't expect much power, but he has already almost reached a career-high in stolen bases.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena continued his career year in Tuesday's victory versus the St. Louis Cardinals. Pena went 2-for-2 with a walk, a run and two RBI. He was also caught stealing in the contest. Pena was overlooked in many drafts this offseason after a rough 2023 campaign, but his 2024 season has made him look like one of the best draft picks for fantasy managers. On the season, Pena is now hitting .305 with five homers, 23 RBI and nine stolen bases. Pena should remain an everyday starter in all formats moving forward with his ability to help across the board.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena is out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Minnesota Twins. This is nothing more than a routine rest day for the 26-year-old slugger. Fantasy managers should expect Pena to be back in the lineup following this game. In the meantime, Mauricio Dubon will start in his place at shortstop and bat seventh versus right-hander Pablo Lopez.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena belted his fifth home run of the season on Friday in a 5-4 win over the Brewers. It was Pena's only hit of the ballgame, but it was a big one as it came off of Brewers starter Freddy Peralta and put the Astros ahead 5-4, which would go on to be the final score. After a disappointing year in the power department where he tallied just 10 home runs, Pena's power stroke is back. So far on the season, the 26-year-old is slashing .326/.364/.459 with a .363 wOBA and 138 wRC+. The former third-round draft pick has also chipped in six stolen bases and is on pace to set a new career high.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena increased his hitting streak to five games as he tallied two hits in Thursday's victory over the Cleveland Guardians. Pena tallied his first hit of the game in the fourth inning with a ground ball to second base and then swiped second base but was unable to score. Later in the sixth, Pena ripped his first triple of the campaign to score Gabriel Arias. The shortstop would then score twice, courtesy of a Jon Singleton blast in the same frame and sacrifice fly in the seventh. Pena has a solid .333/.375/.467 line, and his underlying metrics suggest he could be in for a big summer with a .324 xBA. The former World Series MVP should be rostered in all formats and remains a solid DFS option.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and his first stolen base of the season in Sunday's 3-1 victory over the division-rival Texas Rangers. The 26-year-old Dominican infielder is off to a strong start in his third big-league season with the Astros, going 12-for-36 (.333) with two home runs, a double, six RBI, the one stolen base and four runs scored in 38 plate appearances over his first 10 contests. Last year was a disappointment for Pena in the power department with just 10 long balls after he slugged 22 round-trippers with 63 RBI in 136 regular-season games in his rookie campaign in 2022. He's stole 24 bags in his first two seasons but could easily set a career-high in that category in 2024 if he continues to get the green light on the basepaths.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena went 2-for-4 with a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's 8-0 romp over the Blue Jays. It was the 26-year-old's fourth multi-hit performance in seven games, and he's now 10-for-25 (.400) to begin the year, with two home runs, six RBI, and three runs scored. While the former World Series MVP saw a dip in power last season after belting 22 home runs in 2022, he reduced his K% by increasing his contact rate and his BB% in 2023. Pena was working on some swing adjustments in the preseason to regain some power and it looks to be paying off. If he can continue to hit for both power and average, he'll prove to be a late-round value after going off of 2024 fantasy draft boards around pick 224.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena showcased a more efficient batting stance in Monday's live batting practice, per the Athletic's Chandler Rome. The changes include less pre-pitch bat movement and a more subtle front-leg load. Manager Joe Espada expressed his pleasure in Pena's changes, saying he is "hitting the ball in the air more with power". Power was an issue for the 26-year-old last season, as he slashed .263/.324/.381 with 10 home runs, 81 runs scored, 52 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. The batting average improvements were welcome and Pena showed he could hit for some power in his rookie season when he hit 22 HR. His fantasy value could take an uptick in 2024 if he can maintain his BA gains while also adjusting to hit for more power.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena was on the field on Monday during the team's off day and took ground balls at the team's workout at Target Field. Pena appeared to hit first base gingerly while running out the final out in Game 2 of the American League Division Series against the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. The fact that he was on the field working out a day later suggests that the 26-year-old should be fine to start in Game 3 of the ALDS in Minnesota on Tuesday. In the first two contests against the Twins, Pena has gone 3-for-8 with a double, and a strikeout. In 15 postseason games in his career now, Pena has hit .348 (23-for-66) with four homers, six doubles, eight RBI and 12 runs scored in 69 plate appearances.

Houston Astros manager Dusty Baker said that shortstop Jeremy Pena (hamstring) is good to go to return to the starting lineup on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies and right-hander Jake Bird. Pena suffered from cramping in his hamstring on Saturday and didn't play on Sunday, but he's back in there for fantasy managers after the team had an off day on Monday. Fantasy managers are going to want to get Pena back in their starting lineups, especially for a series at hitter-friendly Coors Field this week. The 25-year-old has played in only seven games in the month of July and is hitting 5-for-27 (.185) with a homer, three RBI and three runs scored, so hopefully a trip to Coors Field will get him right offensively.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (hamstring) is out of Sunday's lineup against the Angels. The 25-year-old left Saturday's game due to injury, with skipper Dusty Baker confirming a hamstring issue. Pena, hitting .241 with 10 homers, 33 RBI, 43 runs, and eight stolen bases this season, is hoping to avoid a trip to the IL. But in the meantime, Grae Kessinger will fill the void and face Angels pitcher Tyler Anderson for the first time in his career.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (hamstring) came out of Saturday's eventual 13-12 defeat to the Los Angeles Angels due to a right hamstring injury. The 25-year-old was checked by a trainer during his 10th-inning at-bat, but was able to finish it, striking out. Pena was then spelled defensively at short in the next frame by Grae Kessinger, who ended up committing a key fielding mistake which resulted in a Halos walk-off triumph. Pena should be deemed day-to-day with Astros skipper Dusty Baker hopeful he was forced from this one with cramps. With an off day on Monday, the speedy Pena could possibly be out of Sunday's lineup for the series finale in Anaheim. Fantasy managers will have to check back for another update on his status for that one.

Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena (undisclosed) was injured in Saturday's loss to the Angels. He played nearly the entire game, accruing one hit in six at-bats while striking out twice. However, Pena was seemingly bothered by something, possibly a leg issue, during his last plate appearance in the top of the 10th inning. The 28-year-old has been banged up a few times this season, so if anything, he may miss a game or two. At any rate, there should be an update on Pena's condition ahead of Sunday's series finale with LA.