Houston Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña is going on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left rib, the team announced on Monday.
Peña, 27, sustained the injury in Friday’s 7-4 win over the Chicago Cubs when he was hit by a pitch from Cade Horton in the second inning. He stayed in the game until the fifth inning before being removed for a pinch-hitter.
X-rays taken Friday did not reveal the fracture, according to MLB.com. But the injury was revealed on MRI and CT scans taken Sunday. Peña is staying with the team during its six-game road trip to receive treatment.
With a .322/.378/.489 average, Peña is the Astros’ leading hitter this season. His 11 home runs are third among Houston’s hitters, while his 102 hits, 18 doubles and 15 stolen bases lead the lineup. In the field, his eight defensive runs saved are fourth among MLB shortstops, while his five outs above average rank eighth.
Mauricio Dubón (.239 average, .668 OPS) is expected to fill in at shortstop while Peña is sidelined. Houston will announce a move to replace Peña on the active roster before Tuesday’s game versus the Colorado Rockies. Eligible to come off the IL on July 8, depending on his recovery, he will also miss a three-game series this weekend with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
“From talking to doctors, there’s some NFL players that play with this, but it’s a pain-tolerance thing,” Astros general manager Dana Brown told MLB.com. “If he feels like he’s fine after a week, we’ll start some baseball activity. We can give him some things to do, and he might be able to play through it as it heals.
“This isn’t one of those things where you have to be sidelined the whole time,” he continued. “Once the inflammation goes down, he might feel good enough to swing a bat. It’s more how much can he tolerate, which means he could come back soon after the 10 days.”
The Astros have the second-best record in the American League at 50-34, despite injuries to designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, outfielder Chas McCormick, second baseman Brendan Rodgers, and pitchers Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier.
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