Mauricio

Dubon

The Astros are saying it’s a really small fracture, and Peña might have a chance of playing once the 10 days are up. Still, they won’t know if that’s realistic until after he resumes swinging a bat, probably at the end of this week. If he feels OK swinging, then he could return pretty much immediately. For now, Mauricio Dubón will start at shortstop.

It only took the Astros three days to find a fracture this time, so they’re getting better. They’ll have to get by with Mauricio Dubón at shortstop until Peña is ready to return. No timetable was provided, but if the fracture is small enough, perhaps he could return right after the break.

Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters Peña is still dealing with some soreness in his ribs after being hit by a pitch during Friday’s showdown and the club doesn’t want to take any risks in advance of Monday’s off-day. It’ll be Mauricio Dubón continuing to fill in at shortstop in his absence. The positive news for fantasy managers is that X-rays came back negative for any fractures and the 27-year-old infielder isn’t facing a lengthy absence. There’s a chance he’s ready for Tuesday’s series opener against the Rockies at Coors Field’s high-octane offensive environment.

The 27-year-old shortstop was struck in the ribs by a pitch during Friday night’s contest. While he was fortunate to have avoided any fractures, he’s still a bit sore on Saturday so the Astros will give him an extra night off to rest. Mauricio Dubon will start in his place at shortstop on Saturday and will bat ninth for the Astros against Cubs’ right-hander Colin Rea.

The versatile 30-year-old had just three home runs on the entire season entering play on Sunday, all of them coming in his last 22 plate appearances. He continued that barrage on Sunday, launching a 378-foot (99.1 mph EV) solo shot off of Kyle Hendricks to get the Astros on the board in the fifth inning. He then clobbered a go-ahead 402-foot (101.6 mph EV) two-run shot off of Hunter Strickland the next inning to give the Astros a lead they would never relinquish. On the season, he’s slashing a respectable .255/.297/.421 with five homers, 18 RBI and a pair of stolen bases in 156 plate appearances.

Dubón doubled in the second inning, then took JP Sears deep for a solo homer in the fourth. He later drew a walk and scored in the fifth, singled in the seventh, and reached for a fifth time with a walk in the eighth. The 30-year-old utility man is slashing .252/.294/.362 with two homers,, 14 RBI, and a pair of steals across 137 plate appearances.

Dubón’s shot to the wall in left-center could have been caught by Willi Castro, but it went off his glove as he attempted a jumping catch. It went as a single, but it would have been a double and Dubón’s first extra-base hit in nearly three weeks under normal circumstances. Dubón is 2-for-26 as a part-timer this month, though he’s started three straight games with Isaac Paredes hurt.

The good news is that while the Astros made a flurry of roster moves on Saturday, Paredes heading to the injured list was not one of them. He has shown significant improvement since exiting Thursday’s game due to a hamstring strain and is expected to rejoin the Astros’ lineup in another day or two. Mauricio Dubon will start in his place at the hot corner on Saturday.

Smith will sit out his second straight game as he continues to battle an illness that led to him being a late scratch from Friday’s lineup. The 22-year-old top prospect has endured an up-and-down rookie campaign, which isn’t uncommon as young player acclimates to everyday life in the big leagues. It’ll be versatile veteran Mauricio Dubón taking over in right field on Saturday afternoon at Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Walker was plunked in the right hand and appeared to be in significant pain. He was able to stay in the game initially, but left for pinch-hitter Mauricio Dubon when his spot came back in the lineup. Walker will likely undergo imaging to determine the severity of the injury.