Jeremy

Pena

We had Peña projected for 17 homers and 18 steals this season, so 15 homers and 20 steals seems like a fair compromise. It’s a little disappointing that he’s gone from hitting 22 homers in 136 games as a rookie two years ago to finishing with 10 in 150 games last year and collecting 15 through 155 games this year. However, he has improved in terms of average, in part because he has the best strikeout and hard-hit rates of his career this season.

Peña singled to lead off the second inning before coming up in a big spot in the sixth. With two runners on, he extended the Houston lead with a three-run blast off Dylan Floro. It was the 15th home run for the 26-year-old shortstop. He’s slashing a solid .270/.310/.404 with 71 runs scored, 68 RBI, and 16 steals across 576 plate appearances.

Peña’s triple was a big one, driving in two runs and giving the Astros a 4-0 lead that would chase Cole Ragans from the game. The 26-year-old has been boring but effective in 2024, slashing .272/.314/.407 with 14 home runs, 15 steals, and 63 RBI. That’s perfectly viable as a deep-league middle infielder, but he hasn’t quite built on the success of his rookie season.

Peña scored one of the Astros’ two runs with a solo homer off Albert Suárez in the sixth inning, going deep in back-to-back games against Baltimore. The 26-year-old shortstop is enjoying a hot month, hitting .294 with five homers in August.

Usually sure-handed, Peña made a costly error in the second inning of this game when he yanked what should have been an easy throw to second base. He responded at the plate with an RBI double and loud, 418 foot home run. He’s sneakily had a strong season with 13 homers, 15 stolen bases, and a .277 batting average. Six of those 13 homers have come in his last 30 games as he looks to be hot for the stretch run.

Peña’s solo blast was the only extra-base hit in a game that featured just four hits, period. The homer was his third over the last week as he’s quietly having a strong season with 12 homers, 13 stolen bases, and a .278 batting average. His strikeout rate has fallen for the third consecutive season while his contact rate has risen. This is a quality ball player.

Peña’s ninth-inning home run was his ninth of the season, and he also doubled and stole his twelfth base of the year in the losing effort. It continues a solid month of July for the 26-year-old, going 21-for-69 (.304) with four home runs, 10 runs, 10 RBI, and two steals. That type of well-rounded production makes him perfect for 15-team formats and a solid MIF streamer in shallow leagues but not somebody you need to hold when he runs cold.

Peña extended Houston’s lead to 5-3 with a homer in the seventh inning off Trevor Richards. The 26-year-old shortstop has homered seven times in 2024, and a three-reach game helps improve his slash to .280/.327/.400 over 325 at-bats.

Peña seems to have things turned around now after a month-long slump; he’s 9-for-29 with five extra-base hits, eight RBI and a 2/4 K/BB in his last eight games.

The 26-year-old shortstop has been a mainstay in the Astros’ lineup this season, so it’s rare to see him getting a night off. Mauricio Dubon will start in his place and will bat seventh for the Astros against Orioles’ right-hander Grayson Rodriguez on Friday evening.