The Houston Astros kept many in the dark regarding Jeremy Pena's injury. The Astros' shortstop was hit by an 89 mph changeup from Chicago Cubs rookie Cade Horton on June 27. Pena exited the game with rib discomfort. After the game, the Astros maintained that X-rays reportedly showed no fracture.
Astros manager Joe Espada confirmed that his ribs were pretty sore but there was no sign to suggest that he had fractured ribs.
“Sore,” Espada said after that game. “Actually bothers him more when he breathes. But we’ll take a look at it tomorrow. But it was pretty sore.”
However, a few days later on Monday, the Astros announced, confirming a “small fracture” and placed Peña on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 28.
Former Houston Astros pitcher Justin Verlander's brother Ben Verlander appreciated Astros coming clean about it rather than lie about it for a month.
"Let’s all take a moment to appreciate the Astros actually admitting Jeremy Peña has a small fracture in his ribs instead of calling it a bruise and lying about it for a month before finally admitting it," he wrote on X.
While many teams are known to underplay injuries, the Astros faced added scrutiny due to prior controversies involving withheld injury details (e.g., Kyle Tucker, Yordan Álvarez). But in Peña’s case, they eventually came clean once the diagnosis was confirmed.
Pena was a key contributor for the Astros this season. Before hitting the injured list, he was hitting .322 along with 11 home runs and 15 stolen bases. In Pena's absence, the Astros are playing Mauricio Dubon in the middle infield.
They are 50-34 on the season and lead the AL West.